Turnabout Connections
by WitchHatsFTW
Summary: Sometimes, things intertwine in ways we cannot see. When a police officer turns up dead at the police station, is it merely bad luck that Ema was the one framed? It's up to Apollo to connect the dots and make the connections that will ultimately reveal the truth, but when a new prosecutor shows up wearing an old mask, will he help find the truth, or try to obscure it? REWRITTEN
1. Prologue: A New Case Opens

_**Disclaimer: The Ace Attorney series and any associated settings and characters are property of Capcom and I claim no ownership.**_

* * *

**December 17, 12:29 PM**

**LA Police Department**

**Criminal Affairs**

On most mornings the police station bustled with the frantic task of last-minute investigations and preparations for whatever various court cases there were. Of course, this wasn't unsurprising, the police station was often very busy, and a side-effect on the three day trial limit was that the police station had its hands full.

It was rare, but some days, the police station had little to do, and if it weren't for all the bloody items in plastic bags and badges, it would seem like a normal office, or even a more casual environment. One time, the Chief of Police even organized a checkers tournament.

Today, it seemed, was somewhere between the two. Working somewhat diligently, but with an air of leisure about the office.

Unless, of course, your name was Dick Gumshoe.

"Hey pal, I need everything you got!" the detective's voice boomed loudly in the otherwise relatively quiet department, "It might seem like an open-and-shut case, but Edgeworth wouldn't take it up himself unless there was something else to it! I need to get him all the evidence he needs!"

The nameless officer ran off, presumably to fetch the detective what he needed, and Gumshoe let out a deep breath. Working at the department wasn't a bad job, and he was still helping Edgeworth with his work, but he missed the days when Edgeworth and him worked together in the field and in court (even if they did lose to Wright most of the time).

Wright.

The name hung sadly in Gumshoe's mind. He hadn't seen Wright since that fateful day in court seven years ago, and while Wright's innocence in that matter had already been proven, Gumshoe still felt bad for the defense attorney.

Gumshoe's thoughts, however, were cut off by the sound of a gunshot. Alarmed, the entirety of the police department sprung into action, and rushed towards where the sound came from; the evidence room.

* * *

Edgeworth was sitting in his office, drinking a cup of tea and looking out his new office's window, when a familiar jingle rang out from his phone. As he checked the id, the faintest of smiles appeared on his face.

"Hello, Gumshoe," He answered after flipping it open, "If this is about the case, I told you-"

"It's not the case, sir!" Gumshoe, "There's been a murder down here at the precinct!"

Edgeworth's eyes widened, "A… a murder?! What happened?"

Gumshoe, "Someone was shot in the evidence room!"

Edgeworth calmed down a bit, "Given the location and circumstances, I'm sure it didn't take you that long to arrest a suspect?"

Gumshoe hesitated for a bit, "Uh… thing is, sir… the main suspect…. It's Ema Skye. She was the only other person on the scene!"

Edgeworth's eyes widened even more, "W-what!?"

Gumshoe sighed into the receiver and finished, "She was knocked out, so we've yet to question her, but it doesn't look like a third party is a possibility, considering we all rushed in there as soon as the gun went off… I hate to say it, but this seems like a pretty open-and-shut case…"

Edgeworth frowned, "Very well… I'll assign the case before leaving for the court. I expect you to head the investigation personally, is that understood."

"Yes sir!" Gumshoe replied before hanging up to get started. Edgeworth glanced back out the window and sipped his tea contemplatively.

"_An open-and-shut case, huh? How many times has Wright managed to take a case like that and turn it around? Well… I can't rely on Wright just yet…"_

A knock on the door of his office brought Edgeworth out of his thoughts, and he responded quickly "Come in."

A man walked in, and Edgeworth's eyes widened at the sight of a metal mask with three glowing red lines running across its face.


	2. Investigation Day 1: Nothing to Stand On

**December 17, 4:41 PM**

**Wright Anything Agency**

Today was one of those days when Phoenix was alone at the agency.

Honestly it wasn't that rare for him to find himself alone for half a day, with Trucy and Apollo out investigating or running errands or entertaining people. Instead, it was rare for him to find himself still at the office with all the things he had going on behind the scenes, least of all keeping his eye on that promising new lawyer-in-training.

He'd also, on occasion, talk with Edgeworth, whether on the phone or in person, though due to how busy Edgeworth was, it often wound up being the former. Edgeworth, for various reasons, was trying to convince Wright to retake the bar and become a lawyer again, but Edgeworth, for the time being, was being coy, and while he let Wright know some of his reasons behind wanting the legendary Ace Attorney back in the courtroom, he never outright told him exactly why he was needed.

Until he gave a full explanation, Wright decided, Wright would stay out of the courtroom.

Still, that didn't stop Wright from being prepared. He was currently sifting through law books and taking notes for when he'd need to retake the Bar exam. Hey, you couldn't blame him for being eager, even though he'd acted anything but when it was brought up with Edgeworth.

Suddenly, however, his studying and thoughts were interrupted by the office phone. Phoenix sifted through a list of potential people who could be calling, but ultimately picked up without coming to a conclusion.

"Wright Anything Agency, Wright speaking," he answered.

"Wright! Oh, good! I needed something to cheer me up!" the voice answered. Wright recognized that voice anywhere.

"Ema! what's wrong? You sound upset," Wright pointed out.

"It's terrible! Today has been absolutely horrible!" Ema began, "I woke up about an hour ago in handcuffs! Apparently I was found knocked out in the evidence room next to a dead detective with a gun in my hands! I was arrested immediately! On top of it all I have a splitting headache and I don't even remember anything else that happened today!"

"Hmm, that does seem to be very incriminating…" Phoenix replied, "It would be a hard case for any defense attorney…"

"Actually, that's what I'm calling about!" Ema replied, "Did you retake the Bar yet? I need a good lawyer, and you're the best there is!"

"Sorry, Ema…" Phoenix began, "I still haven't gotten my badge back. I've been thinking about staying with my current job."

"But… you're a terrible pianist! And I need someone to defend me!" Ema begged.

"Well, if you need someone to defend you, there's always Apollo," Phoenix pointed out.

"Hmm… that kid…" Ema sounded hesitant.

"He might seem inexperienced, but he's the one who cleared my name of forged evidence, and I'm sure you've seen him in the field. He's a pretty thorough investigator," Phoenix replied, "I trust him to clear your name."

"Well… fine! Apollo can defend me… but only because you trust him so much!" Ema replied.

Phoenix sighed. Thank goodness she'd agreed to letting Apollo defend her. He wouldn't trust any other attorney to get her a "Not Guilty" verdict.

"It'll be fine! Besides, I'm sure even Klavier would want to get to the bottom of this case and find the truth!" Phoenix reassured her.

"I'm not exactly inclined to trust that glimmerous fop, it hardly matters. Someone else is prosecuting this case," Ema informed Phoenix, "Apparently the chief himself assigned this case to a new prosecutor."

"A… new prosecutor!? You mean, a rookie?" Phoenix asked, shocked.

"Yeah," Ema sighed, "I don't know what that man's up to…"

"Don't worry, Ema!" Phoenix reassured her, "I'm sure Apollo will do all he can to uncover the truth!"

"Thanks, Wright!" Ema replied, she paused a bit as someone on the other end told her something, and she sighed again, "Looks like they're calling me for questioning, so I've got to go."

"Later, Ema," Phoenix answered just before the line went dead. He put the receiver down and furrowed his brow.

"_What _is _Edgeworth up to? Hmm… perhaps I should ask him myself…"_

Just then, however, the office doors opened, and a familiar red-clad lawyer walked in.

"Trucy's still at the Wonder Bar. She and her friends are helping clean up the aftermath of her soda bottle trick." Apollo informed Phoenix upon entering.

Phoenix shot Apollo an all-too-familiar grin, and Apollo sighed.

"You have a new case for me, don't you?" Apollo replied dryly. He really wished Wright would at least ask him before he signed him up for these cases.

"The defendant's someone you know well…" Phoenix said, "This time, you'll be defending a certain science-obsessed detective. Better get a move on, it's pretty late and her trial's tomorrow."

* * *

**December 17, 4:56 PM**

**Detention Center**

**Visitor's Room**

Apollo gulped. Talking to Ema in the field was difficult enough with her abrasive, cold personality, but now that she was behind the heavy-duty glass of the visitor's room, Apollo was afraid talking would be all but impossible.

"_Oh man, she looks so angry!" _Apollo lamented mentally, "_I hope she'll be more agreeable than she looks..."_

"Hey, Ema…" Apollo began awkward. It was so weird, seeing the detective behind bars. It felt unnatural.

"..." was all Apollo got as a reply.

"Look, Ema… I…. I know you didn't kill anyone! I want to defend you… so try to work with me here!"

"... I….." Ema began, "I won't be much help… I don't even remember what happened."

Apollo's eyes widened. Wright had left that little detail out of his quick summary. To be fair, it was partly Apollo's fault. The moment he realized it was Ema who was in trouble, he rushed down to the detention center immediately. He didn't exactly know her personally, but as the detective that worked on all of his cases thus far, he felt a sort of working relationship with her (even if they were on opposite sides most of the time) and knew she was innocent.

"Well, what's the last thing that you do remember?" Apollo asked he needed all the information he could get.

"I remember arriving at the station… I was assigned to help prepare evidence for a big case, so I'd been going in and out of the evidence room all morning," Ema informed him, "That's where they found me and the victim. I was passed out at the time… but apparently I had a gun in my hand…"

"_Maybe I should ask more about this case she was preparing for…" _Apollo thought.

"You mentioned a big case…. do you remember anything about that?" Apollo questioned.

"Unfortunately, I'm a bit fuzzy on the details," Ema explained, "I don't remember much about the case."

Apollo sighed. "_Maybe I should ask some different questions."_

"Did you know the victim?" Apollo asked.

"Yeah, but not well," Ema admitted, "His name was Allen Renchez. I only knew him from my police work…"

Apollo felt the bracelet on his wrist tighten, and he looked down at it in alarm. So… she was lying to him.

"_Maybe I should try perceiving and seeing if I can get more truth out of her…"_

"Hey, Mr. Spikes," the guard snapped Apollo out of his thinking, "Visiting hours are over… I'm sorry, but you'll have to take your leave."

Apollo frowned, but then looked up at Ema, "Don't worry! I'll investigate and find some evidence to clear your name!"

"... I… I hope so, Apollo," Was all Ema said before she was escorted out of the visitor's room by the guard.

* * *

**December 17, 5:02 PM**

**LA Police Department**

**Main Entrance**

Apollo stared at the building across the street. The police department…. if he wasn't allowed to investigate here, the trial would be all but over.

"_Remember what Wright said that one time…. the best way to get somewhere you're not supposed to be is to pretend you're supposed to be there!"_

Apollo put on an air of confidence and waltzed right up to the doors of the Police Department.

"Hey pal!"

At the loud voice, Apollo jumped. His facade of confidence broken, he glanced around alarmed until his eyes fell across a rather tall, large man wearing a tattered green coat. He had a bandage on his left cheek and a red pencil behind his left ear. He looked quite scruffy, but he carried himself with such authority that Apollo immediately knew he worked at the department.

"You're not supposed to be here!" he asserted.

Apollo tried to salvage whatever was left of his "pretend he was supposed to be here plan" and replied, "Ah, I'm just here to investigate the murder, sir!"

The man frowned, "You're not a detective! Don't try to pull anything funny, pal!"

"A-ah… but…" Apollo began.

"I, Senior Detective Gumshoe, will not allow you to mess up my investigation!" the man exclaimed.

"Wait, you're Gumshoe?" Apollo's eyes widened. From the way Wright had described him, Apollo had pictured someone much less competent at his job than this man appeared to be.

"Yeah, heard of me?" Gumshoe smiled, "I guess I have become somewhat famous at the department... I used to work under the chief prosecutor you know!"

Apollo wondered if his standings with Wright would get him anywhere. It was worth a shot, at least.

"Actually, I heard about you from Wright," Apollo replied.

Gumshoe's smile disappeared, replaced for a brief moment with an emotion Apollo could only deduce as somewhere between sadness and nostalgia, though that reaction was somewhat unanimous around people who knew Wright back in his glory days.

Gumshoe's expression then changed to one of curiosity, "How do you know Wright?"

"I'm his… employee… and his student, I guess," Apollo replied, "I'm Apollo Justice. I'm a defense attorney."

Gumshoe smiled once more, "Ah! You're the kid who cleared Wright's name!"

"_Yes! I've done it! I'm on his good side now!"_

"I still can't let you investigate here, pal!" Gumshoe snapped back to being serious, crushing Apollo's hopes.

"_I'm done for!" _Apollo lamented.

"Take it easy, Detective…" a new voice interrupted Apollo's internal pessimism, "Let the poor lawyer investigate."

Apollo turned to the man approaching the scene. He looked to be somewhere in his mid-twenties, placing him just a bit older than Apollo himself. The tan-skinned man had a very distinct appearance. He was wearing a mostly grey outfit consisting of grey dress pants, a pale-grey dress shirt, and a grey pinstripe waistcoat, the only color in his outfit being a splash of turquoise in the form of a tie. In tandem with is grayscale appearance, his long hair (which he kept swept back and tied at his nape in a sleek, thin ponytail) was a light shade of silver; almost white. A single strand of it faced forwards and dangled in front of what was probably the most unusual mask Apollo had ever seen. The mask was made out of some kind of metal, and the only indication there were any eyeholes at all were the three glowing red lines running across it.

"But… Prosecutor Gamma, sir…!" Gumshoe began.

"Not allowing the defense fair chance to investigate the scene… that would be the same as obscuring the truth, would it not?" Hearing it for a second time, Apollo immediately noted that Gamma's voice was slightly deeper than his.

Gumshoe couldn't come up with a valid rebuttal to this, so Gamma counted it as his win. He turned to Apollo and smiled.

"Go ahead, lawyer… do your investigating. If anyone gives you trouble, tell them that I gave you permission."

Apollo nodded, "A-ah… thanks…"

Apollo took the opportunity given to him and entered the police department to investigate.

_Still, that was weird… the prosecution openly allowing me to investigate the crime scene…? What's going on exactly… just who is this Gamma person? And what's with that ridiculous mask?"_

* * *

**December 17, 5:17 PM**

**LA Police Department**

**Evidence Storage**

Apollo entered the Evidence Room. He was nervous, but so far, he had little resistance making it this far. He wasn't really sure if Gamma had already put in a good word for him to investigate, or if everyone in the station was just too busy to notice he wasn't a fellow detective.

At any rate, now that he was here, he might as well take the opportunity to investigate.

He looked around. There was white tape where the victim and Ema had been discovered, blood stains served to indicate which one was which, and one of the evidence drawers was pulled out and left half open.

"_Maybe I should check out that drawer. It looks rather important."_

Apollo walked over to the drawer, which was positioned somewhere between the two bodies. He looked over and realized that the drawer was filled with files labeled with case numbers. As the letters and numbers didn't appear to be in any particular order, Apollo had no way of knowing if anything was missing or not.

"_If only I had some way of knowing if something was missing! That might be relevant to the case!"_

Aside from the drawer, the scene appeared to be rather clean. Apollo frowned, but decided to look around some of the other shelves just in case.

As he turned to look behind some of the other shelves, he noticed a broken shard of glass on the ground.

"_Broken glass? Are these old pieces of evidence or something…?" _Apollo asked himself, "_Huh!? They… they've got some blood on them! This isn't old blood either! It's dry, but it's definitely fresh! These must be relevant to this case!"_

**-Glass Shards added to Court Record-**

"_These might prove useful in tomorrow's trial…" _Apollo decided, "_Then again, it's the first piece of evidence I've found so far… talk about grasping at straws!"_

"_Well… I hate to say it, but it looks like this is all I'm going to find for now… maybe I should question some of the people at the station… I still have some questions I want answered."_

* * *

**December 17, 5:17 PM**

**LA Police Department**

**Evidence Lab**

Apollo headed out of the evidence room and into the main lab it was connected to. Maybe he could find someone who knew anything about the case Ema was working on.

"Hey! Mr. TV Antennas! What're you doing at a crime scene, da ze!?"

Apollo whirled around to face the cheery voice's owner. The woman standing before Apollo looked to be around Ema's age, had long, short, blond hair that was braided on one side, and had bright, amber eyes. She wore a lab coat, a white blouse, and a black skirt, and had a pair of goggles plastered over her eyes. She held in her hands a beaker filled with some sort of testing solution, and she had a pipette in her other hand. She kept squeezing drops of strange, green fluid into the beaker, and it would fizz every time. Every time she did so, she'd hold the beaker up to her face, close one eye, and stick her tongue out in concentration.

Apollo scratched the back of his head nervously, "I'm investigating the murder."

The woman narrowed her eyes, "You don't look like a detective I've ever seen, da ze..."

Being honest seemed like the best option in this position.

"I'm, uh… actually… I'm Ema's defense attorney… Gamma gave me permission to investigate the crime scene…"

The woman frowned and furrowed her brow, as if deciding whether or not Apollo was lying, then she smiled.

"Gamma said that! Alright! Then I guess it's fine that you're here, da ze!"

"_Da ze? what's with that?" _Apollo asked himself.

"Would it be okay if I asked you some questions about the case?" Apollo asked.

The woman smiled, "Go ahead, da ze! I'm sure Gamma would want me to answer any questions you had."

"First of all, who exactly are you?" Apollo asked.

"Hmph! Didn't ya know it's rude to ask people who they are without introducing yourself first, da ze!? Or do you want me to keep calling you Mr. TV Antennas?"

Apollo sighed ("_Always with the hair"_), but introduced himself nevertheless, "I'm Apollo Justice… like I said before, I'm a defense attorney."

"What an… oddly appropriate name for someone working in law!" the woman exclaimed, "I'm Marisa Greenhart! I'm the forensic scientist in charge around here at the precinct!"

Apollo nodded, then quickly moved on to a more relevant topic, "Can you tell me anything about the murder?"

"It was intense, da ze! I was just helping some of the investigators finish up some big case they were preparing for, when a gunshot rang out from within the evidence room! I even dropped a beaker in surprise!"

"_Great, but I already knew the victim was shot…" _Apollo thought dryly.

"Could you tell me more about this 'big case' everyone's been working on?" Apollo asked.

"Ah, yeah," Marisa replied, "It seems it was a retrial of a case from three years back… A few days ago, an anonymous source submitted a piece of evidence that went missing during the original case, as well as a letter of request for a case retrial. Today was supposed to be the first day of the retrial, but they seemed to have canceled it, da ze…"

"C-canceled?" Apollo asked, "Why would they cancel a trial if they had new evidence for it?"

"Who knows?" Marisa replied, "It might have something to do with the murder, da ze."

"This piece of evidence, you must know something about it, right?" Apollo asked.

"Hey! I thought you were asking me questions about the current case! The evidence for the other case is irrelevant, da ze!" Marisa asserted.

"_Seriously, what's with 'da ze'?"_

Apollo sighed. It didn't seem like he would get any more information about this other case, even though it seemed clearly related to the current one.

"Anyway, about the crime scene… one of the evidence drawers was left open… do you know if anything was taken from them?"

Marisa shook her head, "No idea, but if it was the murderer, they would've found it on her when they detained her."

"Hey, Ema hasn't been found guilty yet!" Apollo retorted.

"It's so obvious that she did it, da ze!" Marisa replied, "anyway, if you don't have any more questions… you should probably get going. I was about to leave myself."

Apollo sighed, "_I guess I can't stay here to investigate, and I won't be able to go back to the detention center… that means my entire case is riding on broken glass!"_

* * *

**December 17, 5:45 PM**

**Wright Anything Agency**

Apollo collapsed onto the couch in the office after returning, earning him curious, yet sympathetic looks from both Phoenix and Trucy.

"Rough day?" Phoenix asked.

Apollo grumbled something into the pillow that neither the Wrights could decipher.

"Polly! You should get up… we've got something for you!" Trucy called out, heading over to the red-clad wreck smothering himself with the couch cushions.

Apollo lifted his head, his eyes little more than narrow slits that screamed "fed up with everything."

Phoenix held up two manilla folders. On one was written "Victim Autopsy" and on the other was written "Medical Report".

"You got the victim's autopsy? And what's that medical report for?" Apollo asked.

"The medical report is Ema's… remember, she was passed out too… or should I say… knocked out."

Apollo's eyes widened.

"She sustained a minor concussion from a blow to the front of the head with a blunt object," Phoenix replied, "No doubt the indication of a third party in the evidence room."

**-Renchez's Autopsy added to the Court Record-**

**-Ema's Medical Report added to the Court Record-**

Apollo read over both files and grinned. This had truly been the first good news he'd heard since he took up the case.

As he began jotting down notes for the upcoming trial, a thought struck him, and he couldn't help but voice his curiosities.

"By the way, Wright… how did you get these?"

Wright smiled in that coy way that told Apollo whatever Wright's next answer was, it wasn't going to be a straightforward one, "Oh, I happened to come across an old friend. He gave them to me after a friendly game of chess."

Apollo wasn't sure which one of Wright's "old friends" it was, but he was grateful the ex-defense attorney had so many connections.

With his question more or less answered, Apollo returned to preparing for the trial. It would be an uphill battle, but he'd been in worse situations.

* * *

**AN: Hey guys! Hoped ya liked the first official chapter, da ze! I'm going to attempt to make this feel like the games as much as possible, so it'll be very dialog heavy most of the time.**


	3. Trial Day 1: A Close Call

**December 18, 9:51 AM**

**District Court**

**Defendant Lobby No. 2**

"_Here we go… I've got some evidence… maybe there's something I can salvage from this mess!"_

"Apollo… you look worried…" Ema pointed out. She was sitting on the couch, playing with her hair and trying not to look worried about the situation.

"N-no! I'm fine!" Apollo yelled, "I'm completely fine!"

Apollo wiped the sweat off his brow and took a deep breath, ready to yell "I'm fine!" one last time.

Before he could, however, Phoenix popped up out of nowhere and smiled, "Hey Apollo, hey Ema, you two ready?"

The two turned and glared at him something fierce, and even the sage of the defence bench himself couldn't help but be intimidated.

"Alright, alright, I get it… Don't worry… I won't just be watching from the gallery this time," Phoenix declared.

"W-what?" Apollo exclaimed.

"I don't have an attorney's badge anymore, but I can still be a co-counsel." Phoenix pointed out, "And I've been told there's someone interesting involved in this trial that I might want to see."

Apollo briefly wondered if Phoenix was talking about Ema, but he quickly dismissed this idea. Phoenix knew who Ema was and knew she was involved in the case from the beginning. Perhaps he meant that new prosecutor?

"Mr. Justice! The trial is starting!" the bailiff yelled, cutting off any chance Apollo had of asking Wright to clarify.

"Well, we better head on in. Don't worry, Ema… we'll win this case for sure!" Phoenix stated.

"_Thank god he's confident… because I'm not!" _Apollo thought.

* * *

**December 18, 10:02 AM**

**District Court**

**Courtroom No. 2**

**- Day 1 -**

**Court is now in Session**

**All Rise**

"Court is now in session for the trial of Ema Skye" the judge spoke, clacking his gavel.

Apollo gave his head one final shake and looked forward with newfound confidence, "The defense is ready, your honor."

The judge looked over to the Prosecutor's bench, where the strangely helpful prosecutor from yesterday, Gamma, stood. Phoenix hadn't taken his eyes off the mask on Gamma's face since they had entered the courtroom.

"The prosecution is ready, your honor," Gamma replied.

"_What? Standard procedure? No bragging? No snarky comments? No air guitar?" _Apollo asked, alarmed.

Phoenix seemed to be able to tell what Apollo was thinking and laughed, "It does seem to be going a bit smoothly, huh?"

"Very well," the judge nodded, "Prosecutor Gamma, your opening statement, if you will?"

"The case seems very straightforward, your honor," Gamma replied, "Yesterday, at around 12:30, the victim, Police Officer Allen Renchez, was shot and killed in the evidence room of the police department. Considering the location of the crime, response was almost immediate. Only two people were found at the scene… the victim himself, and Ms. Ema Skye, who was passed out at the time. A picture of the crime scene was taken immediately."

The photo displayed both Allen Renchez and Ema Skye in the positions their tape outlines were in yesterday during Apolo's investigation. Ema was face-up on the floor, holding a gun in her right hand, and Allen Renchez was collapsed face-down, blood pooling near his chest. The drawer that was slightly ajar during yesterday's investigation was wide open here, but neither the victim or the defendant seemed to have any files in their hands.

**-Crime Scene Photo added to the Court Record- **

"Furthermore, traces of gunpowder were found on Ema's hand. A very straightforward case, if I do say so myself."

The judge closed his eyes, "hmmm… yes… that does seem pretty straightforward…"

Apollo frowned, "_Even without causing problems, he still managed to get the judge on his side!" _

"Still," the judge continued, "I doubt the defense would let me close this trial before hearing witness testimony."

Apollo slammed the bench, "You're right about that!"

"_I don't have any evidence, so cross-examination is all I have!"_

Gamma smiled, "Don't worry about it, the prosecution has already prepared a witness."

When Gumshoe entered the doors of the courtroom, Phoenix and Apollo's reactions were starkly different. Phoenix shot Gumshoe a smile, while Apollo began sweating. As it stood now, they knew two very different Gumshoes.

"Please state your name and profession," Gamma requested.

"I'm Senior Detective Dick Gumshoe, sir!" Gumshoe announced proudly.

The judge nodded, "You've testified to many investigations in the past. Please, give your testimony."

**Witness Testimony**

_**- Case Details -**_

"The case is pretty straightforward, as Gamma said. The gunshot rang out through the police station at around 12:30. Officers and detectives rushed towards the evidence room, only to be greeted by a terrible sight! The victim was lying in a pool of his own blood. The defendant was passed out, but we arrested her immediately because she was holding a gun in her hands!"

_**- End Testimony -**_

The judge frowned, "That does certainly seem to point to the defendant being the killer. At any rate, the defense may begin their cross-examination."

**Cross Examination**

_**- Case Details -**_

"The case is pretty straightforward, as Gamma said. The gunshot rang out through the police station at around 12:30. Officers and detectives rushed towards the evidence room, only to be greeted by a terrible sight! The victim was lying in a pool of his own blood. The defendant was passed out-"

"HOLD IT!" Apollo yelled, "You say the defendant was passed out?"

"Yeah," Gumshoe answered, "She was out cold. She must've been so shocked by what she did, she fainted."

"Hey, Apollo… isn't there something off about that statement?" Phoenix asked, though Apollo didn't need Phoenix to point it out.

"Way ahead of you," Apollo answered, then turned to the judge, "I would like that statement added to the witness's testimony!"

The judge nodded, "Very well, Mr. Gumshoe?"

"Right!" Gumshoe began, "The defendant must've been so shocked when she shot the victim, that she passed out!"

"OBJECTION!" Apollo called out, "Quite frankly, Detective, I find that hard to believe!"

"W-what?" Gumshoe replied, shocked.

Apollo brought out the medical report and held it in his hand, holding his other hand behind his back, "This report details it clearly. The defendant… Ms. Skye, received a minor concussion from a blow to the head with a blunt object."

Apollo brought his hands forward and slammed the desk, "If she simply passed out in shock, then how you you explain this contradiction!"

"Objection," Gamma called out. While it was forceful, it wasn't nearly as loud or aggressive as other objections Wright and Apollo were familiar with. It seemed almost calm, and that unnerved Apollo more than Gamma's sci-fi visor.

"You assert that the victim was hit with a blunt object… but did you consider that maybe the blow was caused by nothing more than the defendant's fall to the ground?"

Apollo recoiled at the rebuttal before conceding, "Y-yeah… I guess that is indeed possible…"

"Hmm…." Phoenix asked, "But is it really? Have you looked at all the evidence clearly, Apollo?"

Gamma shook his head, "If you have an objection, raise one… if not…"

Gamma brought one of his hands down on the desk forcefully, "then concede that it was indeed possible for Ema's injury to be nothing more than the result of her fainting spell!"

Apollo frowned, "_Let's see… do I have a piece of evidence to contradict that statement?"_

Apollo smirked, "I in fact _do_ have some evidence that contradicts that theory!"

Apollo pulled out the crime scene photo and presented it to Gamma.

"The photo? You're saying there's a contradiction in the photo?" Gamma asked, "Where's this contradiction? Show it to me! Show me what part of the photo proves that Ema didn't just hit her head when she fell!"

"TAKE THAT!" Apollo yelled, pointing to Ema's head itself, "As you can see in the photo… Ema's head is _face-up_!"

"So? What difference does it make if she's face-up or face-down… it's still possible for her to have hit her head!"

Apollo once again referred back to Ema's medical report, "That would be true… if it weren't for this! It clearly says here that the defendant received a blow to the _front _of the head! If she had fallen the way she is in the picture, this injury would've been to the back of her head!"

"Ack!" Gamma recoiled, his visor letting off sparks.

"This proves that _someone else _knocked out Ema!" Apollo declared.

Gamma regained his composure and smiled, "Oh… but… did you consider the possibility that Renchez was the one who knocked Ema out? In order for Ema to shoot Renchez, she'd have to be facing him! It wouldn't be impossible for Renchez to attack a person holding him at gunpoint."

"OBJECTION!" Apollo shouted, "Rechez clearly isn't holding anything that could be used injure Ema!"

Gamma smirked, "He's now holding it now… but… what if the object disappeared?"

"W-what?" Apollo asked, "How could an object heavy enough to knock someone out just vanish without a trace?"

"Simple…" Gamma replied, "It broke!"

Apollo remembered the pieces of glass he had found yesterday and suddenly got a bad feeling about where this was going.

"Indeed, there was a certain glass trophy that used to sit on the shelf here, in the picture," Gamma pointed to a shelf near where Renchez would've been standing before he was shot. It looked to be full, but there was a blank spot that was free of objects. "There were pieces of the trophy scattered behind Ema."

"OBJECTION!" Apollo yelled, "If the shards were found behind Ema, how did the victim use the trophy to hit the defendant?"

"Simple," Gamma replied, smiling, "He _threw _it! The victim, threatened with a gun, grabbed the nearest object and threw it at the defendant moments before! It hit her on the head, but she was still able to get a shot in before she was knocked out! The trophy continued over her head and hit the floor, shattering into a million pieces!"

Apollo recoiled at the suggestion, "_Man, it seems like he's making this stuff up, but everything he said makes sense…"_

"Apollo," Phoenix pointed out, "I think it's time to use your trump card."

"But Wright! The only thing I have left is the shard of glass, and that merely confirms his theory!"

Phoenix shook his head, "It's not about the glass, Apollo. It's at times like these where you need to look at things from a different angle… Don't ask 'Did Renchez really throw the glass trophy?"'. Instead, ask 'why couldn't Ema have been hit by the glass trophy by Renchez?'!"

Apollo studied the glass shards and his eyes widened in realization.

"OBJECTION!" Apollo called out strongly. "That's a nice theory, Gamma, but take a look at these!"

"Hmm? More glass? I don't see your point," Gamma replied.

"Then you should look harder!" Apollo yelled, "There's blood on these shards of glass!"

"Yes, I see it," Gamma replied. Wright seemed rather surprised by this statement, but Apollo decided not to question it. Instead, he continued on with his explanation.

"If you look here, when these pieces of glass are put together, the bloodsplatter on them lines up!"

Gamma, realizing where Apollo was going, recoiled, his mask sparking again.

"Renchez died far away from where the glass shards were found…" Apollo pointed out, "furthermore, the bloodsplatter on the glass shards line up perfectly! This can only mean one thing: The glass trophy was still in-tact and on the shelf when Renchez was shot! This can only mean one thing; _someone else_ knocked Ema out after Renchez was shot!"

"T-tch…" Gamma replied, frowning and fiddling with his visor.

The gallery roared into life at this point, and the judge had to silence them with his gavel.

"Order, order!" the judge replied, "Indeed, it does seem like a third person would've had to have been in the room in order to explain both the trophy and the defendant's unconscious state…"

"Objection!" Gamma retorted, "Remember this fact! There was no other third person in the evidence room!"

Apollo slammed his hands on the desk, "There has to be! How else would you explain the shattered trophy?"

Gamma shook his head, "Unfortunately, we have more than enough witnesses to testify that fact. The crime did take place at the police department, after all. The room was checked immediately, and there were no places to hide or escape to."

Apollo began sweating, "Oh… yeah… I forgot about that…"

Gamma smirked, "In fact, I'll pin the final nail in the coffin with a witness testimony."

The woman Apollo met yesterday, Marisa Greenhart, waltzed up cheerily to the stand, her science equipment still in hand.

"Hey Gamma!" the woman waved cheerily.

"Witness, state your name and occupation," Gamma instructed, not giving her greeting any acknowledgement.

"I'm Marisa Greenhart! I'm a forensic scientist down at the station! If you ever need a bullet examined or blood tested, I'm your girl for the job, da ze!"

The judge seemed enamored by the woman's charm, and nodded, "I was unaware lab work was handled by such an attractive young woman such as yourself. For years, people have referred to the forensics team as 'lab-boys'. Quite misleading if I do say so myself!"

Apollo wore a deadpan look on his face. "_Is this foreshadowing how one-sided the judge is going to be?"_

Neither Marisa nor Gamma gave the judge's statement any response. Instead, Gamma did the judges honor, "Witness, explain what happened right after you heard the shooting."

"Will do, Gamma!" Marisa replied.

**Witness Testimony**

**- After the Gunshot -**

"After I heard the gunshot, I immediately rushed over to the evidence storage room! I was the first person at the door, so I would've noticed if anyone slipped out! Besides, the door was still locked. It must've been locked from the inside! I unlocked the door and rushed in with everyone else, and we were greeted with that horrible scene!"

**- End Testimony -**

The judge nodded, "It definitely doesn't seem possible that anyone else was at the scene."

Gamma smiled, "You can cross-examine the witness all you want… I doubt you'll find anything."

**Cross-Examination**

**- After the Gunshot -**

"After I heard the gunshot, I immediately rushed over to the evidence storage room-"

HOLD IT!" Apollo called, "Are you sure it was immediate?"

"Of course," Marisa replied, "I just heard a gunshot, after all. Wouldn't responding immediately be normal?"

Apollo frowned, "_Guess I'm not going to get anywhere with this statement…"_

Marisa continued, "I was the first person at the door, so I would've noticed if anyone slipped out! Besides, the door was still locked.-"

"HOLD IT!" Apollo yelled, "the door was locked, you say?"

Marisa nodded, "Yep! I was startled, it definitely sounded like someone was in there! They must've locked the doors to keep people out while they shot Renchez!"

Apollo placed his finger to his forehead, "Hmm… Your honor! The defense requests that the witness add this to her testimony!"

"Very well," the judge nodded, "Witness?"

"Way ahead of ya, da ze!" Marisa chimed, "They must've locked the doors to keep people out while they shot Renchez!"

"OBJECTION!" Apollo pointed at the witness, "You claim that the killer locked the doors to keep people out while they killed Renchez, but that doesn't make any sense! They'd be essentially locking themselves in at a crime scene! Wouldn't it make more sense to leave the door unlocked? The evidence room isn't very big, so I can't imagine more than one or two people going in there. Even if someone walked it, the real murderer could easily frame the unsuspecting arrival of the murder!"

"Ommphhh…" Marisa replied, dripping too much of the green liquid into her beaker and creating a startling flash of light that caused her to wince.

"Objection!" Gamma stepped in, "the whims of a killer? How can we understand such a thing?"

"OBJECTION!" Apollo returned, "Ema is a detective! Even if she did murder someone, I'm sure she wouldn't do something so reckless as eliminate the possibility of a third party at the scene!"

"Objection," Gamma shook his head, "Proof is everything in court! Can you prove there was a third party? If not, then this argument is a good as over!"

Apollo began sweating, "Uhg… there… there isn't any solid proof of a third party…"

Gamma nodded, "I'm glad you've started seeing things my way. Judge, I believe the case has gone full circle… none other than the defendant, Ema Skye, could have killed Allen Renchez. Therefore, this case is as good as closed."

Apollo frowned, "_N….noooo! This can't end like this… Ema's innocent! I know it!" _

The judge nodded, "Very well, I see no reason to continue this trial further… This court finds the defendant, Ema Skye…"

"OBJECTION!"

The judge's eyes widened at the exclamation, but it wasn't just the judge. Apollo, Phoenix, and Gamma were all startled by the shout.

Gumshoe stood at the witness's stand once more, "Sorry, your honor, sir! But I just got a call from the chief prosecutor! It turns out an entire case file and respective evidence was missing from the evidence room!"

Gamma's eyes widened, "W…what!?"

Apollo slammed his fists down on the table, "If there wasn't a third party in the evidence room…"

He reared up and gave a powerful point, "... then how do you explain the missing evidence!"

Gamma slammed the desk, "Who says the evidence was stolen during the murder?!"

Apollo slammed the desk once more, "When else could it have been taken!? At that point, anything in the evidence room would've been potential evidence! I doubt the police would just let someone walk out with a file… furthermore…"

Apollo pointed once again, pulling up the photo of the crime scene, "the drawer here is wide open! This has to be when the case file was taken!"

"Ack!" Gamma recoiled at the forceful argument made by the defense. His visor let off a few more violent sparks, and he leaned against the prosecutor's desk for support.

The gallery once again erupted with discussion, and the judge was forced to use his gavel to silence them.

The judge nodded, "This new development does bring about the possibility of a third party at the scene. It definitely seems that there is much more to this case than we originally thought. At any rate, I cannot make a judgement until all possibilities are explored. I expect both the defense and the prosecution to look deeper into this matter before tomorrow…"

The familiar clack of the gavel filled the courtroom, and the judge finished off with the standard, "Court is adjourned!"

* * *

**December 18, 1:21 PM**

**District Court**

**Defendant Lobby No. 2**

"Phew," Apollo let out a huge sigh of relief. "That was a close one!"

Phoenix smiled, "That was nothing… there was this one time my defendant was actually declared guilty, but a witness barged in after it was over and demanded to give a new testimony. They almost didn't hear him out, but because of that testimony, I was able to piece together more information and I eventually won the case."

Ema, who was right behind us, frowned, "I'd prefer not to get declared guilty, thank you very much, Wright!"

Wright scratched the back of his head and laughed. "Right, right, don't worry, Ema. Now that we have another day to investigate, I'm sure we'll uncover something!"

"Say…Wright?" Ema asked, "Did you really just come to the trial to see me?"

"Hmm… I don't remember ever saying that, but you're right… I would've come to the trial anyway… but I didn't come here just to catch up with an old friend." Wright admitted.

However, before Wright could say anything else, the bailiff came in, "Alright, Skye, it's back to the detention center for you!"

Ema pouted, but complied, and she was whisked away to the dreary world of stone walls and iron bars.

* * *

**AN: Hey guys, Hoped ya enjoyed it, da ze! Anyway, like I said, I tried to make it as much like the games as possible, so dialog may be choppy or disjunct in places simply because that's normally where the player would be prompted to choose evidence to submit or a point to make. **


	4. Investigation Day 2: Unexpected Aid

**December 18, 1:4****5 PM**

**LA Police Department**

**Main Entrance**

"_I'm back here, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to find anything else!" _Apollo lamented, "_I bet people'll be as tight-lipped as ever about that missing case file too…" _

Apollo then reflected upon how completely quiet it was. He understood why; his first four cases, he had been accompanied by Trucy to help him investigate, but today, Trucy was busy with practicing a couple of new magic tricks. Furthermore, Wright was busy as well. He'd mentioned something about making plans on studying abroad. Apollo hardy saw why; Wright was already an expert defense attorney, even if he didn't have his badge anymore. Knowing Wright, however, Apollo figured there was some ulterior motive to his potential travels.

"_At any rate, looks like I'm alone in this investigation…" _Apollo noted to himself.

"Uh… hey Apollo…"

The quiet voice behind Apollo startled the poor defense attorney halfway to a heart attack, and as Apollo whirled around, he was both shocked at who he saw, and convinced that the world itself had just thrown him an objection, with evidence to contradict him.

"Uh… hey Vera…" Apollo began. He was, for all intents and purposes, surprised to see Vera here of all places.

First of all, Vera was under house arrest. Even with all of Chessmaster Phoenix's "good words" and "connections", he wasn't able to get her off completely scot-free (even if she really didn't know what she was doing). She was allowed to go out, but only for specific, predetermined reasons. While painting original works and running errands were both on this list, Apollo doubted that "Helping with a murder investigation" was.

Furthermore, Vera was supposedly suffering from a bad cold at the moment, though, to be fair, Phoenix had been the source of that information, and it's validity could be put into question, especially since Vera was standing here now, perfectly healthy.

Suddenly, it occurred to Apollo that Phoenix was probably the one behind Vera's appearance here in the first place, something Vera confirmed with her next sentence.

"Mr. Wright told me you might need some help with the investigation…" Vera spoke quietly. She was getting much better at taking to people, but she was still very timid and soft-spoken. "He suggested I come here to help."

"_I hope Wright's suggestion doesn't get Vera into more trouble…" _Apollo thought dryly.

"Uh, thanks, Vera!" Apollo replied, still not quite sure how to respond to her. To be fair, he never got over that strange nervousness, though he was absolutely sure it was just the fact that she had seemed petrified the first time he talked to her and definitely not because she was an attractive young woman that miraculously survived one of the deadliest poisons known to man.

"_Focus on the case, Apollo!" _

Apollo snapped out of his thoughts and headed into the police department with his new investigation partner in tow.

* * *

**December 18, 1:54 PM**

**LA Police Department**

**Evidence Storage**

Upon entering the crime scene, Apollo frowned. He had completely forgotten that there was absolutely nothing of interest aside from the shards of glass he found yesterday.

"So, this is the crime scene?" Vera asked.

Apollo nodded, "Yeah. Aside from the blood and the tape, there's not much here."

Before Apollo could further emphasize the sheer lack of evidence at the crime scene, however, a loud banging was heard from behind some of the larger evidence lockers, accompanied by a frustrated "Ow!"

Apollo recognized that voice from court earlier today.

Sure enough, Gamma made his way out from behind the lockers, clutching his head and looking just more than slightly irritated.

He turned his head as he noticed the two new occupants of the evidence room and tilted his head.

"Back for more investigation, I assume? You're not going to get very far here," Gamma admitted, "I won't stop you from looking though. And if you have any questions, I might be willing to answer them, depending on what they are."

"_As… oddly helpful as ever… huh?" _ Apollo thought to himself, "_I still don't understand why, though…"_

"Alright," Apollo took him up on his offer, "What do you know about the stolen case files?"

"Hmm… the case files… huh?" Gamma turned away as though he was thinking about whether or not he should answer the question, but eventually he continued, "The case files and evidence that were stolen were for the case that was supposed to be retried yesterday."

"W-what?" Apollo asked, surprised.

"It definitely seems that these two cases are connected," Gamma pointed out, "In fact, with this, we might even have a _motive._"

Apollo decided that the best course of action was to question Gamma further about this motive he had.

"So, what's this about a motive?" Apollo asked.

Gamma smiled, "If I told you that, I'd be revealing my hand to you, wouldn't I?"

Apollo frowned, he knew the prosecutor's constant assistance seemed a bit too convenient.

"Although," Gamma began, "Perhaps you should talk to Detective Skye about _her connection _with Mr. Renchez."

"A connection?" Apollo asked, unsure of what Gamma meant.

"Oh?" Gamma smiled, "she hasn't told you, yet? Ms. Skye knew the victim _outside _of her job."

"W-what!?" Apollo exclaimed, "Why do you know that?"

Gamma shook his head, "The better question is, 'Why _didn't_ you know that?'. Perhaps you should try talking to Ms. Skye later…"

Apollo frowned. Was Gamma toying with him, or was he legitimately trying to help him?

Suddenly, however, he remembered the presence of Vera standing behind him. She had been looking around for any additional clues, but once again, she wasn't getting very far. Even with the observant eyes of an artist, she couldn't find anything.

"_Wait!" _Apollo thought, _That's it!" _

"Say, Gamma," Apollo asked, "You wouldn't happen to have any pictures of this room before the incident, would you?"

"Actually, I do," Gamma replied, "This doesn't seem like a room someone would want to take a picture of, but Allen himself did exactly that… perhaps he knew something was going to happen to him ahead of time…"

He handed Apollo a photo of the evidence room, complete with a timestamp. Gamma might have been onto something with his hypothesis; the photo was taken last night.

**-Evidence Room Photo added to the Court Record-**

"Anyway, I shouldn't stick around here much longer," Gamma replied, "I've got my own investigation to conduct, after all. See you in court, Mr. Justice."

The two watched the masked prosecutor walk off without another word.

"_Crap! I forgot to ask him why he was investigating the lockers earlier!" _Apollo realized. He then shook his head. There was no guarantee that Gamma would be entirely helpful. On top of that, he hadn't quite finished his own investigation yet.

Apollo quickly handed the photo to Vera. She might not be an investigator, but her incredible attention to detail would come in handy here.

"Here, can you tell me if there's anything off about the room aside from the body tape?" Apollo asked. She had made perfect forgeries for years. No doubt she'd be able to find even the slightest difference between the photo and the room as it was now.

"T-there! Apollo!" Vera pointed at a short filing cabinet in the corner of the room, "The cabinet's sticking further than it is in this photo!"

Apollo ran over to it and slid it out from where it was. Apollo, Vera, and Gamma were all shocked.

"Th-this is..." Apollo began, "This is a bottle of luminol testing fluid!"

**- Ema's Luminol Bottle added to the Court Record-**

"Hey, it's empty!" Vera pointed out.

"Did this belong to Ema…? But wait a minute… who hid this back here?" Apollo asked, placing his finger on his forehead in thought, "If it belonged to Ema, it would only serve to further connect her to the crime scene… unless…!"

"Unless?" Vera echoed, curious as to where Apollo's train of thought was going.

"Luminol reacts with traces of blood. It's used to detect places where blood was wiped up," Apollo explained, "Furthermore, this bottle is _empty_. This may only be a possibility… but what if the luminol spill would've caused problems for the real killer?"

Vera nodded, but didn't say anything else.

"_If only I had some sort of red lense… then I could see if there's any traces of blood that were revealed by the luminol spill."_ Apollo frowned.

Vera looked around once more before stating, "That's it. There aren't any other inconsistencies with the room and the photo."

Apollo nodded, "Thanks, Vera. We may come back here later, but for now, I want to go talk to Ema."

Vera nodded, and the two made their way out of the evidence room.

* * *

**December 18, 2:21 PM**

**Detention Center**

**Visitor's Room**

Ema sat arms crossed and eyes closed behind the glass. She didn't look angry like she had yesterday, she just seemed defeated. Apollo wasn't sure if it was her time in the detention center or the close call in court today was the cause.

"Hehe, Hey, Ema…" Apollo greeted, scratching the back of his head.

"Huh… that girl behind you… isn't that…? Nevermind," Ema sighed, "Do you have more questions for me?"

Apollo nodded, "As a matter of fact… I do. Two, in fact. For starters, your glasses… the ones that can detect a luminol reaction… do you mind lending them to us for our investigation?"

Ema looked up, "These? Oh, yeah, sure… there's not much testing to do in the detention center…"

Apollo smiled as the Ema slipped the glasses through the small window to Apollo.

"Thanks… now…" Apollo grabbed his wrist near his bracelet. There was definitely something Ema still wasn't telling him.

"Could you tell me again how you know the victim?"

"Renchez?" Ema nodded before answering, "He was a detective like me, so I saw him down at the station a few times. However, I never talked to him outside of work."

Apollo's grabbed his bracelet as it constricted around his wrist. It was time for him to perceive what Ema was lying about.

Apollo focused on Ema, and just like many times before, he felt as though time slowed down and he was aware of every minute twitch.

"Renchez… was… a… detective… like… me,... so… I… saw… him… down… at… the… station… a… few… times…. However… I… never… talked… to… him… outside… of… work-"

"GOTCHA!" Apollo exclaimed, startling Ema, "You're lying!"

Ema's eyes widened, "W-what do you mean?"

Apollo smirked, "Right there, at the end of your sentence… when you said you never talked to him outside of work, you looked away nervously!"

Apollo slammed the small table in the visitor's room like it was the courtroom bench and pointed at Ema, "Admit it, you've talked to Renchez outside of work before!"

Ema looked down a bit before she nodded in defeat, "Yeah, I _knew_ Allen outside of being a detective, but I don't understand why it's relevant."

Apollo raised his brow in curiousity, "What do you mean?"

Ema frowned, "I knew Renchez a long time ago… back in _high school._"

Apollo's eyes widened, "H-high school!? You mean, this has absolutely nothing to do with the case?"

"Yeah. Allen and I were part of a group of friends back in high school," Ema began, "I met them the year before I moved to away to Europe."

Apollo nodded, "Could you tell me more about this group of friends you had?"

Ema frowned, "I don't see how it's relevant to the case… but there were four of us back then. Allen and the others were a year older than me, but we were still good friends. Even after I moved away, I kept in touch with them via email until they all graduated."

Vera beat Apollo to asking the obvious question, "If you were such good friends, why didn't you ever talk to Allen after you came back?"

"It's… because of _that case _from three years ago…" Ema replied, "It's official designation is the HC-4 case, which soon became the HC-4 _incident…_"

"Incident?" Apollo echoed, "So what happened?"

"I don't know all the details, but… that was the incident that took the lives of my two other high school friends…" Ema replied, "Markus Armando and Renko Mori. Those two, along with Allen Renchez, were my closest friends before I moved away."

"So… they died?" Apollo asked.

Ema nodded sadly, "When I came back, I couldn't become a forensic investigator, Wright was disbarred, two of my friends were gone, and to top it all off, Allen was the cause of their deaths…"

"W-wait! Allen was responsible for their deaths?" Apollo's eyes widened in shock.

Ema frowned, "Mark died investigating a case Allen was a potential suspect of. He hadn't been detained yet, but rumors state that Mark found a decisive piece of evidence, and Allen found out he had it. In order to keep Mark from ever talking… he silenced him for good. Renko committed suicide shortly after finding out Mark's death."

Apollo frowned. Ema didn't seem like the kind of person who would buy such a dark rumor about her childhood friend if she didn't think it was true herself.

"What ever happened to the HC-4 case? Did they ever arrest Allen?" Apollo asked, feeling that the HC-4 case was heavily tied to this current trial.

Ema shook her head, "Unfortunately, because of a _missing piece of evidence, _the police didn't have enough evidence to ever arrest Allen…"

"_W-wait! A _missing piece of evidence_!?Where did I hear that before…?"_

Suddenly, Apollo was brought back to the conversation he had with Marisa outside of the evidence room yesterday.

"_It seems it was a retrial of a case from three years back… A few days ago, an anonymous source submitted a piece of evidence that went missing during the original case…"_

Apollo's eyes widened, and he shot up from his seat, startling both Ema and Vera.

"That's it! Thanks Ema, I think we just found a new lead!" Apollo yelled, smiling.

"What do you mean?" Ema asked, puzzled.

"The case that was up for retrial yesterday, and the HC-4 case… are one in the same!" Apollo declared, "Investigating the details of that case-"

"Is impossible," Gamma continued, coming up behind Apollo and Vera, "The HC-4 case files, as well as the evidence… have all gone missing. Those were what was stolen from the evidence room yesterday. Anyway, I'd like to have a word with the defendant myself."

Apollo and Vera nodded and decided to leave the two to their own discussion.

Apollo looked down at the pair of glasses in his hands. "_Even if I can't investigate the HC-4 case, there are still some questions left unanswered."_

* * *

**December 18, 2:40 PM**

**LA Police Department**

**Evidence Storage**

Apollo and Vera found themselves back in the evidence room, but this time, they knew what to look for.

Apollo pulled out the glasses he obtained from Ema and put them on.

"With these," he explained to Vera, "I can see if there's any luminol reactions anywhere on the crime scene. I doubt forensics sprayed for luminol, but if the killer spilled this bottle, maybe we'll find something out of place…"

Apollo looked around the room near where the bodies were found, and sure enough, there were a few glowing handprints left by the real killer.

"Aha! There is something here. The killer must've had time to wipe up the bloodstains, but when they spilled the luminol, they didn't have time to clean up traces of the reaction." Apollo declared, passing on the glasses to Vera so she could see them too.

Vera's eyes widened, "It looks like a handprint!"

Apollo nodded, "Yeah, it's by where Ema was found… this seems like vital evidence to me."

**-Bloody Handprint added to the Court Record-**

"So…" Apollo began, "Luminol was definitely spilled here, and the victim didn't have time to clean it up. If only we had some more information on the subject…"

Suddenly, someone walked into the evidence room. He was wearing a blue forensics uniform, and it looked like he was carrying some evidence.

"A-ah!" he started, "W-what… what are you two doing in here!?"

Apollo smiled, "I'm Apollo Justice, Ema Skye's defense attorney, and this is my assistant. We're just-"

"Oh! You're defending the Detective!? Please save her!" the man pleaded, crossing his hands in front of his head, the tell-tale signs of tears in his eyes.

Apollo arched an eyebrow at the eccentric reply, "Uh… so… do you know Detective Skye?"

The man nodded, almost a bit too enthusiastically, "That cold demeanor… those condescending eyes… her pouty lips… her small, yet perky…. bun…. OF COURSE I KNOW THE DETECTIVE!"

Apollo was getting weird vibes from this man, and he could tell Vera, too, was a bit creeped out by him.

"Calm down! I was just asking!" Apollo replied, not realizing that, with his Chords of Steel, he sounded more riled up than the scientist.

"A-ah, forgive me… I got a bit worked up! It's just not right! The Detective's innocent, I tell you! She's not the kind of girl who'd kill a man!"

Apollo nodded, "I agree. That's why I'm defending her. Speaking of which, we're currently investigating the case. Do you mind if we ask you a couple of questions?"

"Go ahead," the man smiled.

Apollo decided to get the obvious one out of the way, "First thing's first… who are you, exactly?"

"Ah, right!" the man's eyes widened, "I didn't introduce myself! I'm Derek Fanne, forensic investigator!"

Apollo nodded, "_Helooked like he was on forensics… hey… maybe I can ask him more about _that…"

"Take a look at this," Apollo asked, presenting to the man a bottle of luminol.

"Ah! That's… that's the Detective's!" Derek identified immediately.

Apollo's eyes widened, "Huh? How did you know that?"

"It's a bit different than the stuff we use here in the lab, since she orders hers online. It's got some different properties to it, too…"

"Different properties?" Apollo echoed, "What do you mean?"

"Look on the back… right here…" Derek pointed to the back label of the bottle, "information can be found here. It tells you stuff like how long the reaction stays, and how long it takes for the luminol to dry."

Apollo read the information on the back.

_- This luminol testing solution takes approximately five minutes to dry if applied directly to a surface or object. (if the solution is sprayed, drying time is reduced.)_

_-When this luminol testing solution reacts with traces of blood, it will glow a dull blue. This can only be seen through red lenses (not included)_

_-This solution is designed for long lasting results, and lasts about 50 hours._

**- Ema's Luminol Bottle updated in Court Record -**

Apollo nodded, "This might come in handy in Ema's defense tomorrow."

Derek smiled, "Ah! I helped save Ema!? HORRAY!"

"We haven't won the case yet," Apollo pointed out, "and I still have some questions… Can you tell me what were you doing the morning of the incident?"

"A-ah!" Derek replied, "Well… erm… I was helping clean up!"

"Clean up… clean up what?" Apollo pressed further.

"A-ah… the lab… of course! Sometimes it gets messy! I was with some of the other scientists cleaning up when I heard the gunshot. I never went into the evidence room though…"

Apollo felt the bracelet of his arm tense up, and his eyes widened. "_W-what!? He's… hiding something!"_

"I'm sorry, but could you repeat that again?" Apollo asked, focusing in on the man intensely.

"I… was… cleaning… up… the… lab… when… I… heard… the… gunshot…. I… never… went… into-"

"Got it!" Apollo yelled, shaking his head, "I'm sorry, Derek… but you just lied to me, didn't you?"

"A-ack… I have no idea what you mean!" Derek replied defensively.

"When you said you didn't go into the evidence room, your eye twitched nervously!" Apollo pointed at Derek, "You _did _go into the evidence room, didn't you?"

"N-no!" Derek yelled back, "b-but even if I did, I didn't take anything!"

"We didn't say you took anything," Apollo replied.

"T-that's because I didn't! You have no evidence that I did!" Derek yelled.

"_What's with this guy? Now that he's being belligerent, I'll have to prove him otherwise, or else he'll never talk. Do I have a piece of evidence that can prove he took something from the crime scene?"_

After thinking it through a bit, Apollo realized that something was indeed missing from the crime scene. It wasn't even in the crime scene photo.

"Objection!" Apollo yelled, holding up the photo, "Take a look at the photo of the crime scene… there's something missing… wouldn't you agree?"

Derek smiled, "Ha! How would I know? Is there? What's missing in that photo?"

Apollo placed his finger between his eyes and then smirked, "Oh, I would think someone who idolizes Ema so much would realize… she _always _carries around a bag of snackoos with her. Tell me, if you truly didn't take anything from the crime scene, then surely this bag of snackoos has been taken as evidence!"

"Ack!" Derek replied, sweating, "A-alright… I confess… I… I took the Detective's snacks… I… I only wanted to try them… they're expensive, because they're imported from another country… because of this… I'm never able to get my hands on them… in the confusion and shock, I feigned assisting in the preliminary investigation to take them…"

Vera's eyes widened, "I-isn't that tampering with evidence?"

Derek bowed his head bashfully, "It's alright… Karma got me back good… the first one I tried to eat… it was so hard I nearly chipped my tooth!"

Apollo frowned, _Those snackoos are loud… but I don't think they'd really be that hard… maybe there's something more to the first snackoo he tried…"_

"Say, Derek," Apollo began, "You wouldn't happen to have that snackoo still, would you?"

"I… uh…" Derek began, "After I hurt my tooth, I put it back in the bag…" He pulled out the bag of snackoos, "I don't know which one it is anymore… maybe you guys can find it?"

Apollo sighed, it was worth a shot, "Hey Vera, help me look through this bag for an especially hard snackoo!"

Vera nodded, and it didn't take them long to locate…

"W-wha….!" Vera and Apollo gasped when Apollo revealed the hard "snackoo" Derek had tried to eat, "Th-this isn't a snackoo! It's… a bullet!"

"WHAT!" Derek asked, "I… I could've died of lead poisoning!"

"_That's the only thing he's worried about?" _Apollo asked himself before shaking his head, "More importantly, this was technically found at the scene…"

"Does that mean…" Derek asked completely forgetting about his worries from just a moment before, "That two bullets were fired at the crime scene?"

"

_Was it really fired at the scene?" _Apollo asked himself, "_No one mentioned hearing a second gunshot… maybe this is just a piece of evidence left over from an old case… but then, what's it doing in a bag of snackoos?"_

Apollo frowned, "More importantly, why didn't you notice earlier!?"

Derek frowned, "I was still in a daze after everything yesterday… first the gas explosion in the lab, and then the murder-"

Apollo's eyes widened, "W-what? An explosion!?"

"Yeah… it happened about ten minutes before the shooting… there was an explosion in the lab just outside this very evidence room… it wasn't strong… but it was really loud… it gave the whole police station a shock. Apparently one of the burners was leaking gas, so when one of the lab boys went to light it… boom!"

Apollo placed his finger on his forehead and thought for a bit, "How come you didn't say anything about this before?"

"Um… well… actually… my boss, Mrs. Greenhart, was the one who told me not to say anything. She's the lead scientist… so she felt personally responsible for the explosion. She said such an amatuer mistake would be embarrassing to report…"

**- Derek's Testimony added to the Court Record -**

Apollo nodded, "I see, thank you for your time."

Derek tilted his head to the side, "Huh? You mean, you don't have any more questions for me?"

Apollo shook his head, "No, but thanks to you, I think I've finally managed to figure this out!"

The two, satisfied with how their investigation went, headed out of the evidence room and out of the department.

* * *

**December 18, 3:23 PM**

**Wright Anything Agency**

After dropping Vera off at her apartment, Apollo had come straight to the office. Upon entering, he was greeted with an interesting sight.

Phoenix, who was normally calm and composed, jumped at the sound of the door opening and turned to look at Apollo very quickly. His hat was off and he was in the middle of running a sweaty hand through his hair, a look of concern on his face.

"W-Wright?" Apollo asked, "What are you doing?"

"Something's wrong with Trucy!" Wright informed the red-clad lawyer. He motioned to the couch, where Trucy lay with a damp cloth over her forehead, "She was in the middle of showing me a magic trick when she passed out. She's got a high fever, and I don't know what's wrong with her. I called an ambulance since I don't have a car, and they're taking forever!"

Apollo was unaccustomed to this side of Wright. He had heard stories about the old Wright, slowly climbing (and bluffing) his way to courtroom glory. He had met the Wright that other people saw when they looked at him; an ex-lawyer who had forged evidence and lived life in sad shame reminiscing about his glory days before it all ended. He had grown to gradually know the calm, collected mentor Wright, the man he respected as a defense attorney and something of a father-figure as well, even though that was mostly because of his friendship with Trucy.

This Wright was a Wright Apollo figured only Trucy ever really got to know. The father Wright. The Wright that was so concerned with his daughter's safety and well-being that he'd run around like a maniac worried sick despite knowing fully well that pacing around the office a hundred times over wouldn't speed up the ambulance or magically make Trucy better.

"I really hope she'll be okay," Apollo replied before sitting down at his desk. He was concerned for Trucy, of course, but Wright was worrying enough about her for the both of them, and Apollo had work to do.

He took out all the evidence he had collected and placed it on his desk to look over, and began taking notes for tomorrow's trial. He had collected all the evidence he could, and while alone it was useful only for speculation, he hoped he could use it to prove contradictions in court tomorrow. There were still unanswered questions-like the missing HC-4 incident case file and evidence, how and where the second bullet was fired, and Ema's assailant- but Apollo figured he could bring those to light.

All he needed was to get _that person _on the witness stand.

* * *

**AN: Hoped ya enjoyed this one! There's not much to say about this one, really, though I did hint at a bit of Apollo/Vera here at the beginning. I'm not going to elaborate much on that (at least in this story), but it's kinda my personal head-canon that Apollo has complicated feelings for both Vera and Athena. Anyway, that isn't very relevant now, but I may write about it in a later story.**


	5. Trial Day 2: A Twist of Fate

**December 19, 9:46 AM**

**District Court**

**Defendant Lobby No. 2**

"Prolonging the trial an extra day… was exactly what we needed, Ema!" Apollo announced to his somewhat nervous defendant.

"Oh? Because another sleepless night in the detention center definitely isn't something I think I needed!" Ema snapped back.

"A-ah…" Apollo scratched his head, "I guess it would've been nice if I could've gotten a 'Not Guilty' yesterday… but there just wasn't enough evidence. However, I'm confident today I'll be able to pull out the truth."

Ema sighed, "I hope so… By the way, where's Wright?"

"Trucy got sick last night, so Wright's still taking care of her…" Apollo replied. "_Truth is, I'm still worried about her too… I'm so used to having her as a co-counsel… come to think of it… this'll technically be my first time in court without one…"_

Apollo shook his head, "_I'll be fine! I've gone through all the evidence… I have a pretty good grasp on what exactly transpired in the evidence room that morning…"_

On cue, the bailiff ran in an announced, "Mr. Justice, the trial is about to begin!"

"Well, it's time, Ema… today, I'll definitely get you a 'Not Guilty' verdict!"

"HOLD IT!" someone yelled, stopping Apollo in his tracks.

"Hm?" Apollo turned around only to be greeted with the red face and closed eyes of Vera, who, from what Apollo could recall, had never yelled as loudly before.

"V-Vera!" Apollo exclaimed, alarmed, "Wh-what are you doing here?"

Vera looked down at her shoes, "I… I wanted to help, but I… I don't think I should be here after all…"

"Nonsense!" Apollo retorted, "You helped me investigate yesterday, it's only natural that you should be here to watch all that investigation come to fruition!"

"You two are touching," Ema replied dryly, "but my trial…"

Apollo nodded, choosing to ignore Ema's comment, "Right! let's go."

* * *

**December 19, 10:01 AM**

**District Court**

**Courtroom No. 2**

**- Day 2 -**

**Court is now in Session**

**All Rise**

"Court is now in session for the trial of Ema Skye."

Apollo took his cue, "The defense is ready, Your Honor!"

However, when both the Judge and Apollo looked over at the prosecution's bench, there was no one standing there.

The judge frowned and closed his eyes, "Hmmm… that's strange. It appears that the prosecutor has not yet arrived… Bailiff, did you not summon Prosecutor Gamma?"

"He…. he wasn't in the lobby, Your Honor!" the bailiff replied.

The judge shook his head, "This is unbecoming, especially of a rookie prosecutor… I'll have to give the prosecution a penalty-"

"HOLD IT!"

Gamma burst through the doors of the courtroom. He had a few bandages wrapped around his head and on his face, and his mask was looking a little worse-for-wear, but aside from that, he looked unscathed.

"Prosecutor Gamma," the judge scolded, "What is the meaning of your tardiness?"

"I…. got into a car crash, Your Honor…" he replied, "It was this morning, at around 8. I was released from the hospital just minutes ago."

The judge nodded, "Standing in court in your current state is admirable… I can't penalize such a display of devotion."

"_Great, the prosecution has already won the sympathy of the judge." _Apollo thought dryly, "_No matter. I've figured this case out… I just need to draw that witness out to testify."_

Gamma took his place behind the prosecution's bench and nodded, "The prosecution is ready, Your Honor."

"Very well," the judge replied, "Gamma, your opening statement?"

Gamma nodded, "Yesterday, we discovered that evidence had been stolen from the scene of the crime. While our investigation has failed to locate the missing case files or evidence, I believe there is a possibility we have all overlooked. The case files were not taken during the crime, like the defense stated at the conclusion of yesterday's trial. Instead, the files were taken _before _the incident. This is still a serious crime, and the investigation is ongoing, however… the prosecution asserts that it is unrelated to this current trial!"

"OBJECTION!" Apollo yelled, "How can you be so sure the files were taken ahead of time!?"

Gamma shook his head, then smirked, "Easy, Mr. Attorney… I don't recall stating I was finished with my opening statement. I have an _eyewitness _stating they saw someone leaving the evidence room in a suspicious manner prior to the events of the murder. This suggests that someone unrelated to this current case indeed stole the evidence."

The judge nodded, "Let's hear this witness then."

A familiar face showed up sporting a blue forensics uniform and a frown. Perhaps he wasn't happy about testifying against Ema's cause.

"Please state your name and occupation," Gamma requested.

"I'm Derek Fanne, I'm a forensic scientist down at the station…" he trailed off.

"You… don't sound too enthusiastic, Mr. Fanne. Is something the matter?" the judge asked.

"Of course there is!" Fanne yelled, "The Detective's innocent I tell you! INNOCENT!"

"Objection!" Gamma called out, "Your Honor, I believe the defense's guilt or innocence is for you to decide, not the witness."

"Sustained! Witness, you will immediately refrain from passing judgement in my place, or I shall hold you in contempt of court!"

"_Wow, the judge just got serious!" _Apollo noted, "_I guess he gets jealous if other people try to steal his job…"_

"S-sorry, Your Honor!" Derek immediately apologized.

"Mr. Fanne," Gamma replied, trying to get the trial back on track, "would you please explain to the court what you saw yesterday?"

**Witness Testimony**

**- Before the Murder -**

"About five minutes before the gunshot I saw a figure leaving the evidence room. They rushed out of the lab in a hurry, so I didn't get to see their face, but it looked like they were carrying something. It was probably the missing files and evidence for the case.

**- End Testimony-**

"Hmm," The judge closed his eyes in thought, "So you believe that's when the evidence was taken? I see no problems with the witness's testimony…"

"Objection!" Apollo yelled, the judge frowned and clacked his gavel.

"I wasn't finished!" the judge shook his head, "I see no problems with the witness's testimony… however, I will allow the defense to cross-examine the witness. After all, I'm usually never right about these things."

"_W-when did the judge become aware of his own shortcomings?" _Apollo asked himself. The shock on his face alone was enough to make Vera giggle beside him.

**Cross-Examination**

**- Before the Murder -**

"About five minutes before the gunshot I saw a figure leaving the evidence room-"

"HOLD IT!" Apollo yelled, "You were near the evidence room five minutes before the murder?"

Derek nodded, "Yeah, we were just doing standard lab stuff. We didn't know there'd be a murder at that point, why wouldn't we be in the lab?"

Apollo grinned, "The defense requests that last statement to be appended to the testimony!"

"Very well," the judge replied.

Derek smiled, "No problem!"

"I was working in the lab like usual! There was no reason not to be there, since the murder hadn't happened yet-"

"OBJECTION!" Apollo shouted, "Doesn't something about that seem odd to you, Derek?"

"Hmm?" Derek asked with a puzzled look on his face. Either he was actually clueless or doing a damn good job pretending to be.

"Allow me to remind you of something you said just yesterday…" Apollo presented his notes from the questions Derek answered, "You mentioned that about _ten _minutes before the gunshot, there was a loud explosion. The lab wasn't in terrible shape, but I find it hard to believe that after just five minutes, people would be in the lab working like normal!"

Derek frowned, then his eyes shot open and his hat flew up off his head and landed back down crooked.

"S-so what if there was an explosion! It doesn't change what I saw!" Derek yelled.

Apollo shook his head, "The question isn't about what you saw, it's about why you were in the lab to begin with!"

"A-augh!" Derek began sweating. "I…. I uh…."

"Objection!" Gamma called, "Where are you going with this?"

Apollo smiled, "There was an explosion in the forensics lab five minutes before the witness entered the room. I would assume going into the damaged lab would require a _very important reason!_"

"Objection!" Gamma shook his head, "And what do you propose this reason was?"

Apollo's successful smile was wiped clean off his face, "_W-what? How am I supposed to figure something like that out?"_

"HOLD IT!" Derek called out, "There… there was a reason."

Gamma's mask let off a few stray sparks, "W-what!?"

The judge's eyes widened, "You had a reason for going in there?"

Apollo slammed the desk, "What was your reason for going into the lab!?"

"_His reason may shed some serious light on this case!"_

"The truth is… I… I was looking for Detective Skye. She was supposed to report in with the boss, but she never showed up. I figured she might have went to the other lab, so I checked there… but I didn't find her."

Gamma slammed his fist onto the bench in front of him, "W-what!? Why didn't you testify this earlier!?"

Derek looked down, "The person rushing away from the evidence room was _wearing a labcoat…_ If I had reported that Ema was running late, I figured it would seem suspicious."

The judge nodded, "It does seem rather suspicious."

"OBJECTION!" Apollo slammed his fists down on the bench, "Ordinarily, it would seem suspicious… however, keep in mind that _someone knocked out Ema_. At first, we assumed this happened when everyone heard the murder, but allow me to propose this; Ema was missing…. because she had already been knocked out!"

Gamma flinched at the suggestion, and the judge's eyes widened.

"You mean, Ema was knocked out _before the murder!?"_ The judge asked.

"OBJECTION!" Gamma shook his head, then smirked, "Yesterday, you proposed that Ema was struck over the head with the glass trophy… it was also established that the victim's blood was present on the glass in such a way that it had to have been broken _after _the victim was shot! You're proposal is just baseless speculation!"

Apollo began sweating, "_I… I completely forgot about that!"_

The gallery was in an uproar, and it seemed like they favored the prosecution here.

Apollo frowned, "_That creates a glaring inconsistency… but maybe… I need to turn my way of thinking around… I'll take a step back and review the facts."_

_**- Thought Route -**_

_Ema's the primary suspect because she was the only other person in the evidence room at the time. At first… we thought that Ema was knocked out just after everyone heard the gunshot… but in actuality, Ema was missing at least five minutes before the murder occurred. This means that…_

_-[ Ema was stealing the evidence ]-_

_**-[ Ema was already knocked out ]-**_

_-[ Ema was not at the station ]-_

_No… I'm positive Ema's absence was because she was already unconscious at the time. If that's the case, then how do I explain the blood on the trophy? Here's where I have to turn my thinking around… instead of asking myself "How did blood get on the broken trophy?", I should ask myself "When was there a time when the trophy could've gotten blood on it?"_

_**-[ Before Ema was knocked out ]-**_

_-[After Ema was knocked out]- _

_-[ Before the murder ]-_

_But wait… if that's the case, then the murder would've had to have happened before everyone thought it did. Everyone clearly heard a gunshot from the evidence room, but maybe that wasn't the shot that killed the victim… Do I have any evidence that supports there were two gunshots in the evidence room?"_

_-[ The broken glass ]-_

_-[ The handprint ]-_

_**-[ The "snackoo" bullet ]-**_

_Of course! The real culprit killed Renchez and knocked out Ema well before everyone heard the gunshot. This gave them plenty of time to set up the crime scene to make it look like Ema was the real culprit. However, Renchez was definitely killed by a gunshot… which raises the question, "Why did no one here the actual murder?"_

_-[ Renchez was killed somewhere else ]-_

_**-[ No one could hear the first gunshot ]-**_

_If I assume no one could hear the first gunshot, that would mean that Renchez was killed…_

_-[ Last night ]-_

_**-[ During the explosion ]-**_

_-[ When the station was empty ]-_

_**Renchez was actually killed during the explosion.**_

_I got it! Someone sabotaged the gas burner to explode when lit, then, using the sound of the explosion as cover, they shot Renchez in the evidence room, this gave them ten extra minutes to set things up!_

_**-End Thought Route- **_

"OBJECTION!" Apollo yelled, "Your Honor… we've been looking at this case all wrong!"

"Huh?" the judge asked, "Please explain what you mean, Mr. Justice."

"We assumed that the murder took place when we heard the gunshot, but I propose that the murder actually took place _before _that gunshot!"

"OBJECTION!" Gamma slammed the bench on front of him, "The defense is spouting utter nonsense! If the victim had been killed earlier, surely everyone would have heard it!"

"OBJECTION!" Apollo tossed back, "Please keep in mind, that just ten minutes before the body was found, there was a _loud explosion_ in the lab! The sound of a gunshot could be easily drowned out by the sound of an explosion! Furthermore, I have a piece of evidence that proves there was a second gunshot!"

Gamma frowned, "Impossible! f you have something like that, then show it!"

Apollo presented the bullet they found in the bag of snackoos the other day, "TAKE THAT!"

"Mr. Fanne took a bag of snackoos from the crime scene, and this bullet was found inside! I'm sure we could analyze the bullet for gun markings to prove it was fired from Ema's gun!"

The judge nodded, "Bailiff, please have this bullet taken down to forensics and analyzed!"

"Yes sir!" The bailiff saluted and ran off to perform his duty. He returned not to long after with the results, and handed them to Gamma.

"..." Gamma frowned, "It's as the defense says… the bullet was definitely fired from Ema's gun."

Apollo slammed the desk and smiled, "This proves it! There was a second gunshot! The murder actually happened during the explosion!"

"OBJECTION!" Gamma yelled, "There's no proof that the murder occurred any other time than when the gunshot was heard! Even if this bullet was fired from Ema's gun, there's nothing to prove _when _it was fired. The prosecution asserts that the bullet has nothing to do with this case!"

Apollo began sweating bullets. "_He… he's right, I can't prove that the second bullet was fired that day… but…. wait! Maybe I can prove that the victim was killed _before _the second gunshot! Do I have a piece of evidence that shows the victim died well before everyone rushed in?"_

Apollo immediately turned to the bottle of luminol testing fluid and smiled.

"OBJECTION!" Apollo called out, "Take a look at this bottle of luminol. It was found at the crime scene, and we believe that it was spilled while the real culprit was setting up the murder. Notably, this type of luminol is not the same kind the police station normally uses. That's because it's Ema Skye's own personal bottle."

Gamma shook his head, "And… what's your point?"

Apollo grinned, "This kind of luminol…. takes _five _minutes to dry. Now, let me ask you… did anyone report that the floor was wet when they entered the evidence room!?"

"OBJECTION!" Gamma returned, "Heh…. that bottle's empty, sure, but can you prove it was spilled after the murder already took place?"

"As a matter of fact, I can!" Apollo smiled, "Keep in mind that luminol reacts with blood! Yesterday, we found that the luminol had reacted to a bloody handprint!"

"OBJECTION!" Gamma yelled once more, "The handprint could've gotten there after the luminol!"

"OBJECTION!" Apollo rebuttaled, "Luminol can only react when wet! If the handprint was there after the luminol, then it would be blurry, because it would've touched a wet surface! Furthermore, the handprint returned no fingerprints, and Ema wasn't wearing gloves when she was found at the scene! This proves the existence of a third party at the time of the murder!"

Gamma closed his eyes, his face was unreadable, "I misjudged you, Mr. Justice. It looks like you are capable of bringing the truth to light."

Apollo frowned, "W-what?"

"_He… he's on my side now?"_

"Indeed," Gamma replied, "The defense's claims hold some water. There was evidence that someone deliberately sabotaged one of the glass burners in the lab outside the evidence room… It is indeed possible for someone to have planned the explosion to cover up a gunshot."

"Prosecutor Gamma," the judge spoke sternly, "Why did you not bring this information to light earlier?"

Gamma shook his head, then grinned, "Before, there was no proof that the explosion and the murder were connected. It was merely an unrelated case… however, the defense just proved that the murder took place well before the gunshot everyone heard. It would be safe to assume that the only time the murder could've taken place is during the explosion. Furthermore, it has become obvious to the prosecution that Ema Skye could not have committed the murder."

The judge's eyes widened, "Is… is the prosecution recanting their indictment of Ema Skye as the culprit?"

Gamma nodded, "Yes."

Apollo grinned. "_I don't think I've ever had the prosecution give up before! It would be nice to find out who the real criminal is, but perhaps I can talk to Gamma after the trial and help him-_

"The prosecution withdraws their indictment of Ema Skye as the murderer… and moves to indict her as an _accomplice_!"

"W-what!" Apollo replied, shocked.

The judge nodded, "I thought that the prosecution was giving up too easily."

"_Uhg… I don't like where this is headed at all!"_

Gamma smiled, "Thank you, Mr. Justice… now that you've revealed everything, I was able to piece together what exactly occurred on the day of the murder. Ema and the murderer were working together. This is why the culprit had Ema's gun. The culprit waited for Renchez to enter the evidence room, while Ema waited in the lab. Once Renchez entered the evidence room, Ema turned the faulty burner on and rushed into the evidence room right before the explosion. Once she entered, the culprit took that as a cue and fired right as the burner exploded. The culprit, hoping to pin the entire murder on Ema, knocked her out and rearranged the crime scene to make it look like their accomplice had been the sole culprit, then stole the evidence and case files. She waited ten minutes, then fired a second bullet in the evidence room, hid it in Ema's bag of snackoos, and rushed off before anyone else arrived."

"OBJECTION!" Apollo yelled, slamming the desk in front of him, "There's no proof that Ema was involved with the murder at all!"

"OBJECTION!" Gamma returned, "Ema was in the evidence room _ten _minutes before the second gunshot… you yourself proved this with the trophy. Furthermore, how else would the culprit know exactly when to fire the weapon?! There had to have been an accomplice!"

"N-no…. NOOOOOOO WAYYYYY!" Apollo yelled, flinching back in defeat.

"HOLD IT!" a voice rang out. Everyone in the courtroom looked shocked at the outburst, until they all turned their attention to the witness stand.

Derek was standing there, his had crooked on his head and bullets streaming from his face.  
"I… I did it, I'm totally guilty! I'm the one you should be after! I didn't need a stinkin' accomplice… Ema's innocent! I'm the one who killed Renchez! Come on… arrest me already! I'm the one you want!"

The whole gallery broke out into an uproar, but most of the consensus was that this guy was lying.

"W-what!?" Apollo yelled.

"OBJECTION!" Gamma yelled, "False confessions… are considered perjury, Mr. Fanne. Think carefully before speaking next time!"

"But… but it was totally me, Your Honor!" Derek insisted, "I'm the one who took the bag of snackoos from the evidence room, furthermore, I'm the one who set off the faulty burner! You can even ask my boss, she's the one who told me to light it in the first place!"

"OBJECTION!" Gamma yelled, "You're asserting that you're the sole culprit, but there's no way you could've acted on your own! Your confession is nothing but lies!"

"OBJECTION!" Apollo yelled, "While it's impossible for Derek to have acted on his own, I believe his last statement warrants some looking over."

Apollo recalled what Derek had told him yesterday.

"_Um… well… actually… my boss, Mrs. Greenhart, was the one who told me not to say anything. She's the lead scientist… so she felt personally responsible for the explosion…"_

"_W...wait… don't tell me…"_

"_I was looking for Detective Skye. She was supposed to report in with the boss, but she never showed up."_

"_It's a long-shot, but it definitely seems like the only possibility…"_

"_The person running away from the evidence room was _wearing a labcoat…"

"There is one person who could've acted alone… given their position. This person was the one who told Derek to light the faulty burner at a specific time, and I'll be willing to bet that she was the person who convinced him that the bag of snackoos he took from the lab wasn't important enough to be considered evidence…"

Derek began sweating, "Ack… how… how did you know that?"

Apollo grinned, "There is one person who, given all the evidence, seems the most suspicious!"

Gamma slammed his fist down on the table, "And who, exactly, do you propose that person is? Don't joke around this time… if you assert so strongly that a single person is responsible for everything… perhaps we should raise the stakes, what do you say, Mr. Justice?"

Apollo looked at the penalty he would receive if he screwed this one up, but he didn't back down, "Your threats don't scare me! I'm positive that _this person _was the true culprit!"

"TAKE THAT!" Apollo shouted, revealing a picture of Marisa Greenhart, "Ms. Greenhart was the boss Derek was talking about earlier. She was the one who told him to light the faulty burner. Furthermore, Ema was scheduled to meet with Ms. Greenhart at around the time the murder occurred. Given her status as the lead scientist, she would've had full reign of the evidence room and it's contents. She's the only one who could've committed this crime!"

"HOLD IT!"

"W-what!?" Apollo asked, surprised.

"Who… who was that?" Gamma asked, looking around.

Marisa herself was standing at the witness's stand, "Sorry, Gamma…"

Gamma was emotionless, but Marisa looked rather guilty.

The judge shook his head, "What is the meaning of this apology?"

Marisa looked down, "I was the one who gave Gamma a ride this morning… something happened that shocked me, and I lost focus of the road. I'm responsible for his injuries…"

Gamma shook his head, "It wasn't your fault. There's no need to apologize."

Marisa nodded, "Anyway, now that I've got that off my chest… How dare you, Mr. TV-Antennas?! If you're going to make me out to be a criminal, then at least listen to what I have to say, da ze!"

Apollo nodded, "Go ahead and testify, Ms. Greenhart!"

"_This is it, I've been waiting for this opportunity! I'll tear your testimony apart!"_

**Witness Testimony**

**- My Alibi Pt. 1 -**

"You accused me of being the murderer," Ms. Greenhart pointed out, "But I was busy at the time the murder occurred. While I was in the lab when the explosion occurred, I wasn't anywhere near the crime scene when everyone heard the gunshot!"

**-End Testimony- **

The judge nodded, "The culprit in question would've had to been in the evidence room to fire the second gunshot."

Apollo grinned, "_There was a glaring contradiction in her testimony, I just have to point it out!" _

Vera, who had been rather silent throughout the whole case, smiled, "Apollo, you look really determined!"

Apollo smiled and scratched the back of his head, "Well, a defense attorney is the only person standing between their client and a false conviction. If I can prove Ms. Greenhart was the true culprit, Ema will be cleared of all suspicion."

Vera nodded, "I see… It was like that with me too, huh?"

Apollo smiled, "I guess so…"

"HEY, LOVEBIRDS!" Marisa yelled, "What about my testimony, da ze?"

Vera and Apollo looked away immediately and tried to ignore Marisa's accusation.

**Cross-Examination**

**- My Alibi Pt. 1 -**

"You accused me of being the murderer… but I was busy at the time the murder occurred. While I was in the lab when the explosion occurred, I wasn't anywhere near the crime scene when everyone heard the gunshot!-"

"OBJECTION!" Apollo shouted, "You claim you were nowhere near the evidence room when the second gunshot rang out… but you were the first person at the scene! You claimed so yesterday!"

"Well, yeah, but that doesn't mean I was anywhere near it at the time it happened!" Marisa argued back.

Apollo shook his head, "The crime took place in the police station. If you were no where near the scene, then surely someone would've gotten there before you!"

"Ahhgg…. I uhh…. maybe I was near the lab, but I couldn't have committed the crime!" Marisa replied, "I… I just remembered something! Please allow me to revise my testimony!"

The judge nodded, "You may revise your testimony, but keep in mind lying to this court will not be condoned!"

**Witness Testimony**

**- My Alibi Pt. 2 -**

"There's no way I was the culprit! The culprit was wearing gloves, right? Even if I was the first person on the scene, I couldn't have committed the crime, because I wasn't wearing any gloves at the time!"

**-End Testimony-**

"So, you weren't wearing gloves at the time…" the judge echoed, "very well, the defense may proceed with their cross-examination!"

**Cross-Examination**

**- My Alibi Pt. 2 -**

"There's no way I was the culprit! The culprit was wearing gloves, right?-"

"HOLD IT!" Apollo yelled, "How do you know the culprit was wearing gloves?"

Marisa smiled, "I've been paying attention to this trial, da ze! There were no fingerprints on the gun aside from the defendant's, therefore, the person who fired the second shot had to be wearing gloves at the time!"

Apollo frowned, she was right, after all.

"Furthermore…" Marisa continued…

"Even if I was the first person on the scene, I couldn't have committed the crime, because I wasn't wearing any gloves at the time!-"

"HOLD IT!" Apollo yelled, "can you prove you weren't wearing gloves?"

Marisa grinned, as if she knew he would ask that question, "I was the first on the scene, but there were plenty of others who responded just as quickly. A lot of people saw me, and they'll all tell you I wasn't wearing gloves!"

"A-ack!" Apollo flinched, "There's… there's nothing there! I can't corner her at all!"

Gamma slammed his hand on the bench, "Are you satisfied now, Mr. Justice? There's no way Ms. Greenhart was the culprit!"

Apollo began sweating, "No… no… I'm sure she's guilty… but I don't have any evidence to refute her claims…!"

Vera smiled, "Hey, Apollo, before Wright sent me here, he told me to remind you that if you get into a pinch, you should _turn your thinking around._"

Apollo nodded, "I know, but…. wait… I think you're right, Vera!"

"_This is it! If I can't prove her guilt here and now, Ema will accused of being an accomplice! I have to turn my thinking around! Instead of asking 'How can Ms. Greenhart be responsible if she wasn't wearing gloves?', I need to ask, "How did Ms. Greenhart fire the second gunshot without gloves on?'... Wait! I think I understand it now!"_

"If the defense has no further arguments," the judge began, "Then I believe it is time to hand down my verdict-"

"OBJECTION!" Apollo shouted, his Chords of Steel working as hard as ever. He slammed the desk, "I think there's one way Ms. Greenhart could've committed the crime without gloves on!"

"W-what!?" Gamma yelled, "Mr. Justice, have you gone mad? We've already proved that the second bullet was fired from Ema's gun, and no one else's prints but Ema's were found on the gun!"

Apollo nodded, "That's because the culprit used this to fire the gun… you can see it here, in the photo of the crime scene..."

"TAKE THAT!" Apollo shouted, pointing at Ema's hand.

"W-what!?" Gamma's mask let off a few stray sparks.

"Yesterday, you mentioned that gunpowder residue was found on Ema's hand! At first, this seemed rather incriminating, but today, you conceded that Ema was not responsible for the murder… then how would you explain the residue on her hands? The answer is simple! Ms. Greenhart knew that if she was wearing gloves, she could be fingered as a suspect… so she planted the gun in Ema's hand well before the second gunshot! When she returned to the crime scene, she never fired the gun directly! She used Ema's hand to pull the trigger so her prints wouldn't be on the weapon!"

"OBJECTION!" Gamma yelled, "If the bullet was fired from where Ema is now, then what do you propose stopped it from making a hole in the wall?"

Apollo slammed his hands down on the bench, "Isn't it obvious? The evidence room is filled with heavy duty lockers for storing evidence. I'd imagine sometimes this evidence also includes live firearms. Aren't those lockers made to be bulletproof?"

"ACK!" Gamma recoiled, more sparks flying from his mask.

Marisa wasn't faring much better. She was beginning to sweat bullets, and she was nervously fiddling with her science equipment. Her labcoat also kept sliding off her shoulder, and she kept having to readjust it.

Gamma regained his composure and slammed his fist down on the table, "there's no proof that Ms. Greenhart had anything to do with the murder! If it's as you claim, than anyone could've been the culprit!"

"OBJECTION!" Apollo yelled, "There's one piece of evidence that Ms. Greenhart would've had to touch directly, and that piece of evidence is…"

"TAKE THAT!" Apollo yelled, pointing out the bullet that they found in the snackoo bag.

"Ms. Greenhart had to hide the bullet to eliminate any evidence of the second gunshot! If she wasn't wearing gloves at the the time, that means her prints should be on this bullet!"

"Wh...what…. No… No I…." Marisa panicked, she dripped all of the remaining liquid into her beaker, and then dropped the pipette in by accident. "I DIDN'T DOOOO IIITTTTTTTT!"

The whole thing started fizzing over and shot out of the beaker in her face. She sat there, dripping with the chemical and holding her now empty beaker, looking utterly defeated, "I… I didn't… ack!"

She fell backwards, and Gamma immediately slammed the bench, "The prosecution requests a recess to allow the witness to recover."

The judge nodded, "Granted, the court will take a fifteen minute recess. In that time, the bullet shall be analyzed for the witness's fingerprints."

The judge slammed his gavel, signifying the start of the break, and everyone made their way out of the courtroom.

* * *

**December 19, 12:31 PM**

**District Court**

**Defendant Lobby No. 2**

"Phew," Apollo sighed, "It was cutting it pretty close there, but in the end, I was able to reveal the true culprit!"

Ema frowned, "Marisa Greenhart, huh? Actually I do remember something about me meeting her that morning. My memories are still a bit fuzzy, though."

Vera smiled, "You're… great, Apollo. I never got to see you when you proved me innocent, because I was in the hospital at the time, but I have a feeling you defended me just as fervently as you did Ema."

Apollo nodded, "Yeah, but it isn't over yet. We still have to wait for the verdict!"

Suddenly, however, panicked yelling and rushed footsteps echoed from outside of the lobby, and when Apollo opened the door, he saw bailiffs rushing towards the prosecutor's lobby.

"Huh?" He stopped one of the bailiffs and asked, "What's going on?"

"The witness, Ms. Greenhart, suddenly collapsed! Someone said she wasn't breathing!"

Apollo's eyes widened, "W-what!?"

Apollo and Vera rushed from the defendant's lobby and headed over to see what happened.

* * *

**December 19, 12:38 PM**

**District Court**

**Prosecutor's Lobby No. 4**

Apollo rushed in, quickly followed by Vera, to see the witness, Marisa Greenhart, lying on the ground. There was a doctor there trying to resuscitate her, but her efforts appeared to be in vain.

Eventually, a bunch of emergency medical personnel rushed in with a stretcher and quickly retrieved Marisa before rushing out to take her to the hospital. Everyone who had witnessed the scene appeared shaken up, but none more so than the doctor who tried to help her.

Gamma sat, head pointed towards where Marisa had fallen with a blank expression. Apollo couldn't begin to figure out what that man was thinking. He had just watched one of his witnesses collapse in front of him, and there didn't seem to be any reason for it.

He rose to his feet slowly, as if he was afraid of moving too fast, and looked over at the courtroom. He looked down at his watch and frowned.

"Even though the witness is in critical condition," He began, his tone much different than it was before, "there is still a trial to finish."

Apollo nodded silently and returned to the defendant's lobby quickly before they had to be back in court.

* * *

**December 19, 12:46 PM**

**District Court**

**Courtroom No. 2**

The judge clacked his gavel, "There seems to have been further complications with the Ms. Greenhart's well being… as such she will no longer be appearing before the court."

Gamma nodded, "Unfortunately so, however, there is no need for a guilty party to stand before the court so they may lie. The bullet has been tested for fingerprints, and four sets were found. Mr. Fanne's, Ms. Misham's, Mr. Justice's…. and Ms. Greenhart's… Your Honor."

The judge nodded, "This is definitely conclusive evidence. While Ms. Greenhart's guilt will be examined in another trial, I see no reason to prolong this trial further. This court finds the defendant, Ema Skye…

**NOT GUILTY**

There was confetti, like always, but no one in the courtroom cheered, and even the faces of the defense team seemed solemn.

The judge clacked his gavel down one final time with a, "Court is adjourned!"

* * *

**December 19, 12:51 PM**

**District Court**

**Defendant's Lobby No. 2**

"..." Ema frowned, "... I should be happy we won the trail, but I can't stop thinking about Ms. Greenhart."

Apollo nodded, sighing, "It was… unexpected, to say the least. Even if she was the culprit, seeing something like that happen again wasn't pleasant."

Vera looked down, realizing what Apollo meant by "again". She frowned, "I hope she'll be okay…"

The three sat in silence for a few minutes before the door to the main lobby opened and Gamma himself walked in.

"I'm probably the last person you want to see right now," Gamma began, "but I thought it would be best if I told you some things."

Apollo looked over at Ema, whose expression was unreadable, and shook his head, "No, it's fine, you were surprisingly helpful during the investigation, even though you put up a fierce court battle."

Gamma looked away, "The best way to draw out the whole truth…. is to eliminate all other possibilities. The prosecution and the defense, while opposing forces, both work together to achieve this goal. At least… that's how it should be."

Apollo frowned. The dark age of the law… it was a phrase that had been popping up more and more lately. The so-called "dark age" was sparked by Wright's disbarment when he unwittingly presented forged evidence in court, and the conviction of a prosecutor for murder. It brought forth an age where many believed the ends justified the means and both sides used underhanded tactics to get the verdict they wanted.

Ema frowned, "Yesterday, during your questioning… you told me you requested my case personally. Why?"

"..." Gamma turned away, "I-"

Before Gamma could finish, however, Detective Gumshoe, Klavier Gavin, and a bunch of policemen busted into the lobby and faced the masked prosecutor.

"K...Klavier!? What are you doing here?" Apollo asked, shocked.

Klavier frowned, looking over at Prosecutor Gamma, "I'm afraid we have some bad news, Herr Forehead… the witness, Ms. Greenhart, is dead…"

"W-what!?" They all yelled, but Apollo was shocked that his Chords of Steel were completely overpowered by the panicked prosecutor next to him.

"Furthermore, there's some strong evidence that she was poisoned," the purple-clad prosecutor pointed his finger at Gamma and glared at him accusingly, "We're arresting Herr Visor over there for the murder of his witness, Ms. Greenhart!"

"W-what!" Gamma yelled, "What's the meaning of this!?"

Klavier frowned, "It's over, Gamma… The truth will be brought to light. Herr Gumshoe, arrest this man!"

Gumshoe and a few other police officers cornered Gamma at the prosecutor's bench and handcuffed him. Gamma, who was putting up some resistance, thrashed about angrily.

"There's no way I'd stoop so low!" Gamma rebuttaled, "Your claims hold no water… Or are you doing this out of spite because I decided to prosecute your girlfriend?"

Klavier, in an uncharacteristic fit of anger, punched Gamma in the face. The impact sent Gamma's mask flying off his face and sliding across the floor. Gamma immediately shut his eyes tightly, but his face was now revealed in full.

As they hauled him out of the courtroom, Ema got a clear shot of his face and gasped, eyes wide and face pale as if she had seen a ghost. With uncharacteristic fear and urgency, she turned to Apollo.

"Apollo! Gamma… Gamma definitely didn't do it! You have to defend him!" Ema urged.

"W-what!?" Apollo yelled, "What are you talking about? We don't know anything about him! What if he really is guilty?"

Ema shook her head and grabbed Apollo's shoulders urgently. She held her head down, and Apollo could've sworn a few tears fell from her eyes.

"Wright… Wright always said that faith in your client is the most important part about being a defense attorney, right? He said 'No matter what, trust in your client!', he taught you that, right?"

Apollo nodded, "Y-yeah… but-"

Ema looked up with pleading eyes, "Then, please, have faith in me, your client, that Gamma's innocent!"

Apollo looked down at Ema. He had never seen her like this. She was normally grumpy, abrasive, and cold to everyone she came across, and would only really open up if science or forensics were involved. However, these past few days she seemed mellower, and now she seemed almost broken.

Apollo nodded, "Alright. I'll… I'll put my faith in you… and Gamma."

Ema nodded at this and waved as she turned towards the doors, "I'm headed home, I leave the rest to you, Apollo."

Apollo turned to Vera and nodded, "Alright, let's head on over to the detention center!"

Vera nodded, and the two made their way out of the courthouse with a new mission.

* * *

**AN: Aright, here ya go! Hope ya liked it, da ze! I tried my hand at the Thought Route thing. At first I figured I'd go about it without adding extra choices, but then I felt that was kind of awkward, because it was just Apollo thinking in brackets. I figured that the Thought Route should have the feel of thinking of all possible scenarios and eliminating the ones that don't quite make sense. **

_**"**_**_Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth" -_**** Sherlock Holmes**


	6. New Investigation Day 1: End Game

**December 19, 1:25 PM**

**Detention Center**

**Visitor's Room**

"I'm sorry, Mr. Justice," the guard replied, "But Mr. Gamma is meeting with someone already."

Apollo and Vera had stopped by the office quickly to inform Wright of Apollo's new case, then rushed to the detention center and immediately asked to speak with the masked prosecutor.

"But… there's no one in here…" Vera pointed out.

The guard nodded, "Actually, he's meeting with an _inmate_. I don't know how much longer he'll be."

Apollo's eyes widened, "Wait… suspects are allowed to meet with inmates?"

"Not usually," the guard explained, "but exceptions are made for family and the engaged."

Vera looked puzzled, "Apollo… you don't think Gamma's engaged to an inmate, do you?"

Apollo shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe we can ask him when he's done meeting with them."

"Maybe we should investigate while he's gone?" Vera suggested. Apollo nodded.

"Good idea, let's head back to the courthouse to see what we can find."

* * *

**December 19, 1:30 PM**

**District Court**

**Prosecutor's Lobby No. 4**

"Alright," Apollo said, "The crime scene looks pretty clean, but let's see what we can find…"

Vera nodded, but just then, "Hey, pal! This crime scene is off limits!"

Apollo groaned, "Foiled by Gumshoe again!"

"Gamma isn't here to let you guys investigate, so better luck next time, pals!" Gumshoe replied, chuckling as if keeping Apollo and Vera from investigating was some sort of game and he just won.

Apollo frowned. "_Why do these detectives always have to make my job harder?"_

"Could you at least answer some of our questions?" Apollo asked, foolishly optimistic.

"No can do, pal! I won't share information with the opposing side!" Gumshoe replied, successfully.

"Achtung, Herr Gumshoe," Klavier appeared behind the large man and smiled, "It would be unfair to not allow our friends to investigate, would it not?"

Gumshoe sighed, "Not you too, Gavin!"

Klavier sighed, "Normally I like staying out of detective work, but the chief advised me to keep a close eye on this one."

As Klavier motioned to the detective, Apollo wondered if Gumshoe hadn't changed much since his days as an incompetent detective working Wright's old cases after all.

"Go ahead, Herr Forehead, ask me anything you want about the case," Klavier replied with a smile.

Apollo nodded, "Alright, can you tell me why you arrested Gamma?"

Klavier frowned, "Gamma… is hiding some secrets. So was the late Ms. Greenhart, for that matter. I have reason to believe Gamma poisoned Ms. Greenhart as an act of revenge for an incident three years ago."

"'_Three years ago'," _Apollo thought, "_Why does that keep popping up?"_

Vera spoke up this time, "Didn't the HC-4 case happen around that time?"

Klavier smiled, "Ah, so the Fraulein Artist heard… Ja, the case three years ago and this one are more closely related than you think."

"About that," Apollo began, "what do you know about the HC-4 incident?"

"I didn't know much about the incident, but we managed to recover the missing case files and evidence. The HC-4 incident technically refers to the death of an officer by unknown causes. He allegedly jumped off the police station roof to commit suicide, but the autopsy revealed that the bruises were most likely post-mortem, implying foul play." Klavier explained, "the incident involving the death of one of the forensic scientists on the case was called the IP-3 incident, though many refer to it as the second ND-5 incident."

"The second ND-5 incident?" Apollo echoed, "were the two cases similar or something?"

Klavier shook his head, "Surprisingly, no, at least, not on the surface. Though, perhaps you should as _Gamma himself _about all that."

Apollo frowned. "_So, Gamma's connected to the second ND-5 incident?"_

"If you want, I can give you copies of both case files for you to look through later," Klavier offered.

Apollo nodded, "That would be very helpful, thanks."

**- HC-4 Case File added to the Court Record -**

**-Second ND-5 Case File added to the Court Record -**

"_It looks like that's all I'm getting out of Klavier for now… maybe I should try investigating?"_

Apollo and Vera scoured the entire room for any sort of evidence, but they didn't find anything particularly interesting. The only thing they managed to find that could have any relevance to the case at all was the victim's lab coat.

"Isn't this Ms. Greenhart's?" Vera asked, holding it up.

Apollo nodded, "That's definitely the one she was wearing… but looking at it now… it looks way too large for her…"

Vera nodded, "It's more like it was made for a man, don't you think?"

"Maybe we should try examining it more closely," Apollo suggested, Vera helped him hold it up while he looked around at it, then noticed there was a piece of paper poking out of one of the pockets.

"Huh, what's this?" He asked, though Vera couldn't tell if he was just voicing his thoughts or asking her. He pulled out the paper and opened it up, only to find that it was a letter.

As he read it, his eyes widened… "W-wait! This is… this is a suicide note!"

**- Suicide Note added to the Court Record -**

Apollo frowned, "If the victim wrote a suicide note, then why'd Klavier go and arrest Gamma?"

Vera shrugged and readjusted her grip on the lab coat, when she noticed that the left pocket had a lump in it.

"Hey, Apollo, look at this, it looks like there's something in this pocket too."

Apollo pulled it out and noticed an empty bottle, "Huh? It's a small bottle… wait… don't tell me… do you think there might've been poison in here?"

Vera clasped her hands over her mouth, letting the lab coat fall to the floor in the process. Understandable that someone who had been close to dying from poison once would be afraid of the thought of it.

**- Glass Bottle added to the Court Record -**

"_Hm… the court record's getting a bit cluttered. I should clear out the evidence I don't need anymore…"_

**- Court Record Cleared. Unneeded Evidence Discarded -**

As Apollo picked the lab coat off the floor, he noticed that there was an emblem and a name sewn into the inside of the collar. Upon closer inspection, it read;

"_PTHS Alumnus 2017"_

"Alumnus?" Vera asked, "Like… someone who graduated from high school?"

Apollo nodded, "It looks that way, but this is a regular lab coat, right?"

Vera shrugged, "We should probably hold onto it anyway."

**- Lab Coat added to the Court Record -**

"Well," Apollo sighed, turning to Vera, "It doesn't look like we'll find anything else… we should head back to the detention center to talk to Gamma."

"Right," Vera agreed.

The two made their way out of the courthouse to try their luck with Gamma again.

* * *

**December 19, 1:46 PM**

**Detention Center**

**Visitor's Room**

Gamma sat behind the window, a deep-set frown on his face. The police had apparently returned the mask to him, as it sat on his face once again.

He glanced at Apollo and his frown softened, if only a little, "I'm… I'm guessing you want to defend me?"

Apollo nodded, "We found ample evidence that Marisa Greenhart committed suicide. We believe she poisoned herself."

Gamma looked down, "I see… so that's how it is…"

Apollo scratched the back of his head, "It's a bit unusual, but this actually seems like a pretty open-and-shut defense, if you can call it that."

Gamma nodded, "I… I don't really know what Klavier is playing at… but I get the feeling he knows as well as I do that I'm innocent."

"Actually," Apollo began, "When we asked Klavier why he arrested you, he said something about you hiding secrets."

"..." Gamma looked away again, and Apollo got the feeling that Klavier hit the nail on the head.

"He also insinuated that you were connected to the second ND-5 case…" Apollo elaborated, "Do you know anything about that."

Gamma shook his head, "Not many people outside of the a select few high prosecutors and some of the police officers are privy to that information. However, I do know about the first ND-5 case."

Apollo nodded, "Alright, can you tell me anything about that? The ND-5 case, I mean."

Gamma nodded, "It was an initially unsolved case that happened 14 years ago… a defense attorney was poisoned in the cafeteria of the courtroom, and fell into a deep-set coma. The attempted murdered managed to evade authorities and wound up destroying the evidence of the poisoning, but was later found guilty of another murder and brought to justice."

"Did… did the defense attorney ever wake up?" Vera asked.

"Yes," Gamma replied, looking away, "But… he was bitter. While he slept, he lost some important things, and wound up trying to get revenge against the person who failed to protect them. He bloodied his own hands with his actions… and he's currently serving out his sentence in this very prison."

Apollo nodded, "I'm not sure how helpful that information will be in tomorrow's trial, but thank you for sharing all you could about the case."

Gamma nodded silently, and then turned to leave, "I take it we're done here?"

"Yeah," Apollo affirmed, then turned to leave himself, Vera in tow.

* * *

**December 19, 2:13 PM**

**Wright Anything Agency**

Apollo walked into the front door by himself again. Vera had once again returned home after their investigation was over, so it was up to Apollo to turn things over in his head until they made sense.

When he and Vera had stopped by earlier, Trucy had been released from the hospital. Her fever was the result of a surprisingly abrupt onset of walking pneumonia, but it had subsided just as quickly as it began, and Trucy and Wright returned home with antibiotics and a cautionary warning that if it gets bad again, she should be brought back in immediately.

Currently, it looked like Wright was making soup for Trucy while also talking to Ema, of all people.

"Ema?" Apollo asked, shocked to see the detective here of all places, "What are you doing here?"

"I was just talking to Wright about some things, but I also wanted to give you this," Ema held out an old photo, "It may come in handy."

Apollo glanced at the photo. It appeared to be taken at nearby Gourd Lake, though it appeared much different on account of the age. Apollo immediately recognized one of the girls in the photo as a young Ema, clad in a labcoat as she was now. She was standing in the middle, beaming happily at the camera and fiddling around with red-tinted glasses very similar to the ones she wore today.

One of the boys in the photo somewhat resembled Allen Renchez, though obviously he looked a lot younger and wasn't as well-built as his older self. Unlike Ema, he wasn't wearing a similar outfit, instead opting for some "Stylin' Street Clothes" as Apollo liked to call them.

The other boy in the photo was grinning, carrying what appeared to be a blue coffee mug and flashing a peace sign at the camera. His black hair was spiky and unkempt, and he was clad in some rather normal clothes. Notably, however, he was wearing rather unusual sandals, which appeared to be Japanese in origin and made out of wood.

The girl in the photo had black hair, done up on one side into a short braid, and bright orange eyes. She was smiling mischievously at the camera and giving the aforementioned boy next to her a pair of "bunny ears" with her fingers.

She was in the most unusual outfit, wearing a rather straightforward yukata and more effeminate versions of the wooden sandals her friend was wearing. Apollo was quite sure he hadn't seen someone dress so blatantly Japanese since his run-in with the Kitakis.

Apollo checked the back of the photo, and on it was written, "Prometheus Technical High School, Culture Festival - 2016" and the initials "ES", "AR", "MA" and "RM".

**- School Photo added to the Court Record -**

"Wait, if these two are you and Renchez…" Apollo began, "Then are the other two…?"

Ema nodded sadly, "That's right… Mark Armando and Renko Mori."

Apollo frowned. Something about the photo was bothering him.

"Hey, Ema, the name of the high school, Prometheus Technical High School… I feel like I've seen those initials before…"

Ema placed her finger on her lip, "Oh, really? That's a bit odd, it's not really a very large or well known high school… There were only around sixty students in the graduating class each year…"

Apollo nodded, "I'm positive I've seen them before… on this piece of evidence…"

Apollo pulled out the Marisa's lab coat, "The inside of this lab coat's collar has some words sewn into it. They read 'PTHS Alumnus 2017'... I assume the PTHS here stands for Prometheus Technical High School."

Ema placed her hands over her mouth, "Actually, I recognize that! Because Prometheus Technical High School was so science oriented, everyone in the graduating class got a special, custom-fit labcoat. That one's the male version."

"_Hmmm… it looks like Marisa Greenhart definitely had some things to hide," _Apollo thought.

Ema turned to leave, "I better get going. You two have a sick magician to take care of, after all."

Apollo held up a hand to stop her, "Hang on, Ema…. why were you so adamant about me defending Gamma?"

Ema lowered her eyes, "You should read the over the case files of the second ND-5 incident… maybe you'll understand then."

She left without another word, and Apollo suddenly wished everyone around him didn't have to be so coy all the time.

Wright looked at the irritated expression on his face and smiled, "She's right, Apollo. I'd definitely look over those case files if I were you."

Apollo resigned himself to a sleepless night of reading and deskwork. The day may have only been half over, but he had two whole case files to read, and once he finished that he'd have to take notes for tomorrow's trial. Not to mention the paperwork for Ema's trial was due as well.

Trucy coughed from the other room and Apollo shook his head. Work may be important, but he wasn't about to ignore his good friend just yet.

Getting up from his desk, Apollo made his way over to the other room, where he saw Wright feeding Trucy, who was lying down on the bed, with a gentle look on his face. It wasn't the look of relaxed calmness he held about him most of the time, but a different look that reminded Apollo that while Phoenix wasn't that old, he had gone through all the motions of being a single dad.

Trucy weakly raised her head and immediately brightened at the sight of her close friend and smiled, "Hey Apollo."

Her voice was wheezy and dry, but not even her sickness could mask the happiness in it. Apollo smiled back, "Hey Trucy. I'm sorry I couldn't come visit you yesterday. I've had my hands full."

Trucy shook her head, "It's fine, you've been working hard, right? Daddy told me Gamma needs your help… so you shouldn't worry about me. I've got Daddy to take care of me."

Apollo nodded, "Thanks, Truce!"

Apollo gave a sideways glance at the small armchair in the corner of the room and an idea popped into his mind.

"Actually, your input might be rather useful, why don't you say you help me with this case after all?"

Trucy grinned enthusiastically and Wright smiled, nodding his silent approval. Apollo headed out into the main room to fetch the stuff for the case. It was time to do some serious reviewing.

* * *

**AN: Not much to say about this one, anyway, hoped ya liked it, da ze!**


	7. New Trial Day 1: Turnabout Connections

**December 20, 9:43 AM**

**District Court**

**Defendant Lobby No. 5**

Gamma was silent, waiting in an almost peaceful stillness on the sofa for the trial to begin. He barely turned his head when Apollo walked solo into the courtroom.

Wright had told Apollo that morning that even his good word could only go so much; Vera would not be allowed to act as his co-counsel again.

He hadn't been _horribly _bothered by that fact, but it meant that this really would be his first trial standing at the bench alone.

"Alright, Gamma!" Apollo half-called, half yelled, "We'll be fine, don't worry!"

"Mr. Justice, the only one who looks nervous… is you," Gamma pointed out.

Apollo frowned. Not only was he nervous about his first trial without a co-counsel, but after reviewing the evidence, He and Trucy made a certain connection. Apollo was sure Klavier had made it as well, and if it was proven in court, it would give Gamma one hell of a motive.

"Take it easy, Justice," Gamma continued, "Klavier is a man after the truth, even though I feel this time he jumped to conclusions. I didn't kill Greenhart. As long as that is the truth, Klavier will not win this trial."

Apollo nodded wishing he could have the same confidence as Gamma, "Right. Well, it looks like the trial is starting. Let's go."

* * *

**December 20, 9:51 AM**

**District Court**

**Courtroom No. 1**

**-Day 1-**

**Court is now in session**

**All Rise**

"Court is now in session for the trial of Gamma," the judge replied, bringing down his gavel.

"The defense is ready, Your Honor," Apollo stated without skipping a beat.

On the other side of the courtroom, Klavier played a little air guitar and then grinned, "The prosecution is ready to rock as always, Your Honor!"

"_Say goodbye to standard court procedures..." _ Apollo thought dryly.

"Very well. The court will hear your opening statement," the judge replied.

"The crime is simple, Your Honor, The witness collapsed in the Prosecutor's lobby during yesterday's trial. Although she was rushed to the hospital immediately, she still died… of acute poisoning..." Klavier pointed his finger over at the defendant, "... and the only other person in the room at the time was you, Herr Visor!"

"OBJECTION!" Apollo yelled, "Take into consideration that some very incriminating evidence had just been revealed implicating her as the culprit of yesterday's trial. Is it not possible that she committed suicide!?"

Apollo's immediate strong attack was met with discussion from the gallery.

"OBJECTION!" Klavier smiled, "I should mention… yesterday, we located the HC-4 case files that had gone missing… they were found among _Allen's_ belongings…. furthermore, Allen's fingerprints were found on the broken glass on the trophy, as well as the gas burner…. do you understand the implications of these pieces of evidence?"

The judge's eyes widened, "Do you mean… the glass trophy… belonged to Allen?"

Klavier shook his head, "Not quite, Your Honor. It means… Ms. Greenhart killed Mr. Renchez in _self-defense!_"

"W….what!?" Apollo asked, alarmed.

Klavier smiled, "Here's what I think happened. Renchez realized the retrial of the HC-4 case would find him guilty of murder, so he snuck in and stole the case files and evidence when no one else was in the lab. He then sabotaged the gas burner to create an explosion to keep people away from the evidence room long enough for him to dispose of the HC-4 case files before anyone noticed they were missing. However, sometime before the explosion, Renchez saw Ema enter the evidence room. He followed her in and when she noticed that the HC-4 files were missing, he bludgeoned her over the head with the glass trophy. As he was trying to figure a way to cover up his assault, Ms. Greenhart entered the room. When she noticed Renchez standing over Ema with the trophy, she realized what happened and acted quickly. She grabbed Ema's gun and shot Renchez before he could hit her as well. She was already wearing gloves from the lab, so her fingerprints didn't get on the gun. She then proceeded to stage a second gunshot to cover up her actions and make it seem like Ema was the culprit."

The judge nodded, "Although tampering with the crime scene and perjury are both crimes, self-defense is not. She likely would have testified as such if given the chance."

"OBJECTION!" Apollo called, "There's no way to prove that she killed in self-defense!"

"Objection!" Gamma spoke in that calm manner that seemed almost unfitting for the courtroom, "She… confessed as much to me yesterday. After your cross-examination. I know this is technically hearsay, but considering she can no longer testify, this is the best we have."

Klavier slammed his fist against the wall of the gallery, "The Prosecution requests a special case be made for this piece of testimony, Your Honor!"

The judge nodded, "Prosecutor Gamma wouldn't benefit at all from lying to the court about this, and it is true that the testimony came from someone who is now deceased. A special exception will be made. This is valid testimony."

Klavier grinned, "As you can see, the witness would have no motive for committing suicide!"

"OBJECTION!" Apollo yelled, "I'll acknowledge that Ms. Greenhart had no motive for suicide, but at the same time, Gamma would have no reason to kill her!"

"OBJECTION!" Klavier replied, "Herr Forehead, I assume you looked over all the files I gave you yesterday, Ja?"

Apollo nodded, "Of course."

"Then I'm sure you know where my train of thought is going…" Klavier slammed his fist against the wall once more, "Gamma's motive… was revenge!"

"W-what!?" the judge asked, eyes wide.

"The HC-4 incident…" Klavier stated, "These past two cases and that one have been related from the beginning, Ja? But how deeply? To understand that, we must ask; who were the three people involved in all three of these cases?"

"OBJECTION!" Apollo yelled, "Only Renchez was involved in all three of them."

Klavier shook his head, "Are you forgetting that piece of evidence you found, Herr Forehead? The lab coat worn by the victim? It's actually specially made for an alumnus of Prometheus Technical High School. This particular lab coat was worm by someone of the graduating class of 2017. There is a very glaring problem with this."

Klavier pulled out a list and presented it to court, "This is a list of all the 2017 alumni from Prometheus. The name "Marisa Greenhart" does not appear anywhere on this list."

**- List of Alumni added to the Court Record -**

"The victim, a graduate of Prometheus Technical High School, was using the name 'Marisa Greenhart' as an _alias_!" Klavier announced.

"OBJECTION!" Apollo called out, shaking his head, "Klavier, your logic is shaky at best!"

"And why, Herr Forehead, is that?" Klavier replied, "Tell me why my logic is flawed?"

Apollo placed his finger between his eyes and thought for a few seconds before replying, "That lab coat doesn't exactly fit Ms. Greenhart's physique. In fact, if I remember correctly, the labcoat kept sliding off of Ms. Greenhart's shoulders yesterday. That labcoat has broad shoulders and doesn't curve much at the waist. It was clearly made for a man!"

"OBJECTION!" Klavier began sweating a bit, "Maybe it didn't fit since it was made 9 years ago!"

"OBJECTION!" Apollo returned, "That would make sense if it was too small for her, but too large? Face it, Klavier, that labcoat wasn't originally Ms. Greenhart's!"

Klavier smiled, as if he was waiting for Apollo to point out as much, "So, you noticed too, Herr Forehead?"

Apollo slammed his hands on the desk, "Stop acting so smug and get to the point already!"

Klavier sighed, "Don't be so impatient. Tell me, Herr Forehead, if the labcoat didn't belong to her, than whose labcoat was it?"

"Ah, I…" Apollo began sweating, "I… didn't really think about that…"

Klavier shook his head, "Indeed, the labcoat's owner is very important to this case."

Apollo frowned, "What do you mean?"

"The list, Herr Forehead," Klavier explained, "Allen Renchez is on that list, ja?"

"Wait," Apollo asked, eyes widening, "You're not implying that…"

"The labcoat originally belonged to Allen Renchez, yes," Klavier announced, "Back then, during the initial investigation of the HC-4 case, a certain forensic investigator was poisoned. It was insinuated in the reports that he died, but in actuality, he merely fell into a coma. To prevent any further attempts on his life, his survival was covered up and he was held in the hospital under a different name. While no official investigation was carried out, it seems that it was general consensus that his lab partner, Renko Mori, was responsible for his attempted murder. She left a suicide note, but her body was never found, meaning she may not have actually committed suicide."

Apollo slammed his fists on the desk, "What're you implying?"

"Ms. Greenhart was an alias used by Renko Mori!" Klavier stated, "She poisoned her lab partner, Mark Armando, in an attempt to cover up for Renchez's murder. She and Renchez were close, which is why she was wearing his labcoat!"

Apollo slammed the desk once more, "Even if that's true… what does that have anything to do with Gamma!?"

Klavier smiled, "Prosecutor Gamma… is actually Mark Armando!"

The gallery erupted into discussion, and it took the judge's gavel to calm them down.

"Order, order in the court!" the judge shook his head, "Everything you said has made sense, but might I remind you that evidence is everything in court!"

Klavier nodded, "'Ms. Greenhart's' autopsy and a DNA test has confirmed that she was in fact Renko Mori. Furthermore, the evidence to support Prosecutor Gamma's identity is sitting on his face as we speak. Your Honor, I'm surprised you didn't recognize it, but Herr Visor's visor has appeared in court before."

The judge's eyes widened, "Now that you mention it, I do remember seeing that before."

Klavier nodded, "It was used by a prosecutor named 'Godot', but this in fact turned out to be an alias as well. His real name was Diego Armando."

The judge's eyes widened, "A-ah! Armando! You mean…?"

"Ja!," Klavier snapped his finger to a beat only he could hear, "Mark Armando and Diego Armando are _brothers, _and the visor on Herr Visor's face is proof of that connection!"

"OBJECTION!" Apollo yelled, "Even if that mask did belong to Diego Armando, what does Gamma wearing it prove? If I put on that obnoxious necklace of yours, would that make us brothers?"

"OBJECTION!" Klavier returned, "Allow me to remind you of a certain rule down at the detention center. Suspects are allowed to visit inmates of the prison, but only if they're related or engaged. Tell us, Herr Visor… just who did you visit yesterday?"

"It was… my brother… Diego Armando…" Gamma admitted, "I've no reason to hide it anymore. I am Mark Armando."

The judge frowned, "So, let me get this straight… Ms. Greenhart was actually Renko Mori, and Mr. Gamma is actually Mark Armando. Ms. Mori poisoned Mr. Armando in the past to cover Mr. Renchez's crimes, since the two were close, and the prosecution asserts that when Mr. Armando realized who Ms. Greenhart really was, he poisoned her to take revenge?"

Klavier nodded, "Precisely, Your Honor!"

The judge nodded, "Hmm… that does indeed make sense."

"OBJECTION!" Apollo yelled, "I will concede that both the defendant, Prosecutor Gamma, and the victim, Marisa Greenhart, were both not who they claimed to be, however, if you assert that Renko Mori would poison Mark Armando because she was close with Allen Renchez, then take a look at this piece of evidence!"

"_This trial… it's been nothing but circumstantial so far! But I've got a piece of evidence here that proves Renko Mori wasn't just close with Allen Renchez!"_

"TAKE THAT!" Apollo yelled, presenting the photo Ema had given him, "This here is a photo of a cultural festival for Prometheus Technical High School students."

The judge nodded, "That's a nice photo, but what relevance does this have?"

Apollo smirked, "Your Honor, take a look at what's written on the back of that photo."

"Prometheus Technical High School, Culture Festival - 2016 ES AR MA RM… wait!" The judge's eyes widened, "Are these…"

Apollo nodded, "These are initials, namely, those of Ema Skye, Allen Renchez, Mark Armando, and Renko Mori! As you can see, they were all friends back in high school! Why would Renko Mori poison one of her old friends!?"

"OBJECTION!" Klavier smiled, "Your logic is flawed, Herr Forehead. Ema Skye is also in that photo. Why would Renko frame one of her old friends? Your argument is invalid!"

"Even if Renko Mori did poison Mark Armando, that doesn't mean he took revenge!"

"OBJECTION!" Klavier shook his head, "I'm sorry, Herr Forehead, but we have a witness."

"W-what!?" Apollo yelled, "Why didn't you mention this earlier?"

"The truth, Herr Forehead," Klavier replied, "I wanted to prove that the victim and the defendant were not who they initially claimed. Now that the truth is revealed, I will shut the door on this case!"

The judge nodded, "Very well, you may call your witness."

Apollo was shocked to see Derek Fanne take the stand. He looked almost smug.

"Hey, you there! You tried to prosecute the amazing Ms. Skye, and then you went and killed the boss! Don't think you're gonna walk away free!" he yelled.

Klavier slammed the back wall, "State your name and profession, please."

"Sure thing, I'm Derek Fanne, a forensic scientist!" the man replied happily.

"Very well. Please explain to the court what you saw," the judge requested.

**Witness Testimony**

**- The Poisoning Pt. 1 -**

"It wasn't cool at all!" Derek began, "Since I was a witness, I was supposed to be in the prosecutor's lobby as well, but I decided to take a short walk. When I returned, I saw Gamma hand the boss some coffee and slip something into his pocket. She took one sip and collapsed! I put two and two together and realized that Gamma must've done something to her drink!"

**- End Testimony -**

The judge's eyes widened, "That is quite incriminating… very well. Mr. Justice, your cross-examination?"

"Right!" Apollo nodded.

"_I know Mr. Armando is innocent, so Derek must be lying… the question is, how do I prove it?"_

**Cross-Examination**

**- The Poisoning Pt. 1 -**

Since I was a witness, I was supposed to be in the prosecutor's lobby as well, but I decided to take a short walk. When I returned, I saw Gamma hand the boss some coffee and slip something into his pocket-"

"OBJECTION!" Apollo called out, "So, you say that the Gamma slipped whatever he used to poison into his own pockets? I find that hard to believe."

"W-what!?" Derek asked, almost indignant, "And what's wrong with that!?"

Apollo smirked, "Take a look at this bottle. We believe it to have contained the very poison used to kill Ms. Mori. We found this in Mori's pocket, not Gamma's!"

"Ack!" Derek cringed.

Klavier stayed silent, and Apollo frowned, normally he prosecution would step in here to defend their witness's statements.

The judge frowned, "Well, it seems like there is no explanation for the discrepancy in your testimony. We will have to discard it."

"HOLD IT!" Derek yelled, "Wait! I… I just remembered something!"

The judge nodded, "Very well, You may revise your testimony. Try not to leave out any details this time!"

**Witness Testimony**

**- The Poisoning, Pt. 2 -**

"Actually, Gamma didn't put the bottle in his pocket! He put it in hers! It happened when I entered the room! I saw him lean over and slip something into her labcoat's right pocket!"

**- End Testimony -**

The judge nodded, "So, you saw him slip the bottle into her pocket, where the defense found it. Very well, the defense may cross-examine this bit of testimony!"

**Cross-Examination**

**- The Poisoning, Pt. 2 -**

"Actually, Gamma didn't put the bottle in his pocket! He put it in hers! It happened when I entered the room-"

"HOLD IT!" Apollo yelled, "How exactly did you enter the room?"

"What do you mean how? I entered through the lobby door like any normal person!" Derek argued.

Klavier nodded, "There is only one door to the lobby. This is the case with both the defense and prosecutor's lobbies. Here, allow me to show you."

Klavier brought up schematics for the prosecutor's lobby. The only entrance was in the lower left hand corner. There was a small table in the corner near the door, and the couches were against the back wall, farthest from the door. There was a TV in the corner and some various other cabinetry and chairs in the center.

"So," Apollo asked Derek, "You came in through the door. Where were Mr. Armando and Ms. Mori standing?"

Derek pointed to an area near the coffee machine. According to Derek, the two were lined directly up with the left wall, with Mr. Armando closer to the coffee machine.

**- Prosecutor's Lobby Schematics added to the Court Record -**

"Then what happened?" Apollo asked.

"I was just getting to that! See…"

"I saw him lean over and slip something into her right pocket-"

"OBJECTION!" Apollo smirked, "Sorry, Mr. Fanne, but it would be best if you stopped lying to the court now."

"What!?" Derek slammed his fist down on the table, "What do you mean?"

"The bottle of poison was found in Ms. Mori's _left _pocket!" Apollo announced.

"OBJECTION!" Klavier slammed the gallery wall, "Do you understand, Herr Forehead? If he witnessed the incident head-on, the victim's left pocket would've been to his right!"

"OBJECTION!" Apollo returned, "Yes, _if _he had witnessed the incident from straight-on, but that would be _impossible!_"

"What!?" Klavier asked, "You better not be bluffing, Herr Forehead!"

Apollo shook his head, "I'm not, and this piece of evidence proves it!"

"TAKE THAT!" Apollo said, pointing out the schematics. "Mr. Fanne claims just entered the room, but the problem with that is, from this point, something would be prevent him from seeing Ms. Mori altogether!"

"Please explain to this court what this "something" is, Herr Forehead!" Klavier yelled, "If you truly are bluffing, pay for it with a penalty twice as harsh!"

"TAKE THAT!" Apollo yelled, pointing to Mr. Armando himself."

"The… the defendant!?" the judge asked.

Apollo nodded, "According to Derek, Gamma was standing closer to the coffee machine, which would make sense, since he just made the coffee. However, notice that he'd be standing between himself and the victim! How would someone entering the room be able to see what was happening!?"

"A-ack!" Derek frowned, his hat flying off his head again. Once again, it landed back on crooked, and he began to sweat a bit.

"OBJECTION!" Klavier frowned, "If the witness didn't see the defendant slip the bottle into Ms. Mori's labcoat pocket, then how did he know where it was?"

Apollo frowned, "Because… we just told him?"

Klavier shook his head, "You told him you found the bottle in Mori's pocket. You didn't specify you found it in her labcoat. Yet he stated clearly in his testimony that he saw Mr. Armando slip the poison into her labcoat pocket! How do you explain this information?"

Apollo frowned, "_How can I explain that… wait… maybe…"_

"OBJECTION!" Apollo smiled, "What if Mr. Armando wasn't even in the room!"

"W-what!?" Klavier asked, sweating.

"If Mr. Armando wasn't between Ms. Mori and Mr. Fanne, then he'd be able to see her clearly."

"What are you suggesting?" Klavier asked.

"Apollo smirked, "Renko Mori committed suicide! Mr. Fanne saw Renko herself slip the bottle of poison into her pocket!"

"OBJECTION!"

Apollo recoiled in shock, but he wasn't alone.

The judge's eyes widened, "Who… who was that?"

Klavier frowned, "Wh-what's going on?"

Apollo looked next to him to see Mark Armando himself standing at the defense's bench.

"W-what?" Apollo asked.

Mark frowned, "I've finally figured it out; Renko Mori… didn't commit suicide. Nor did I kill her. Apollo, the one who killed her… is standing right there, at the witness bench!"

Derek began to sweat, "Wh...what!"

"Mr. Armando… what… what are you doing?" Apollo asked, shocked.

"Heh, Relax. I've seen my bro do this plenty of times," Mark reassured Apollo.

"W-what! Is the defense indicting Derek Fanne as the murderer?" The judge asked.

Mark nodded, "That's exactly what I'm doing!"

Klavier slammed his fist against the gallery wall, and Apollo started feeling bad for the gallery, "Proof, Herr Visor? Do you have proof that Mr. Fanne was the killer?"

Mark smiled, "I don't, but Mr. Justice does."

"Wh-what!?" Apollo asked, wide-eyed, "I…. I do!?"

Mark nodded, "Easy, easy! Settle down already. Think about it. If Renko Mori didn't commit suicide, than _that _piece of evidence must be a forgery, right?"

Apollo's eyes widened, and he suddenly caught on, "I see where you're going with this!"

The judge frowned, "Well, Mr. Justice? Do you have evidence that Mr. Fanne murdered Renko Mori?"

Apollo nodded, "Yes I do, Your Honor!"

Klavier began to sweat, "Since you feel so strongly, how about a penalty to match your trust in your defendant!"

Apollo didn't bat an eyelash at the threat.

"The evidence that proves Mr. Fanne is the true culprit is…"

"TAKE THAT!" Apollo presented the suicide note, "This is a note we found in the defendant's pocket."

"Is that… a suicide note?" the judge asked, "but… wouldn't that imply that Renko committed suicide?"

Apollo shook his head, "At first, that's what I thought too… but…. uhh…"

"The handwriting on that note," Mark stepped in, "It doesn't look anything like Ms. Mori's! I demand an immediate handwriting analysis on that suicide note!"

The judge nodded, "bailiff!"

The bailiff nodded and took off, headed for the lab to get the note analyzed.

"While we're waiting," Mark added, "Allow me to clarify things. That man was the only other person working in the lab when I was poisoned. He must've been the one who poisoned me. I imagine he was working for Allen. He was also the first person to drink from the coffee pot. I used to be an avid coffee drinker back when I worked as a forensic scientist; a little something I picked up from my brother. I imagine you poisoned the coffee, expecting me to be the first to drink some. I was your intended target!"

"HOLD IT!" Derek slammed the witness stand repeatedly, "Who says I was the one who poisoned you back then! You have no proof."

Mark smiled and shook his head, "Sorry, but your fate's been sealed. This bottle is the same missing evidence from the HC-4 case! I imagine you've already wiped it of prints, but the fact is this same bottle went missing from the lab three years ago. If you're the one who wrote that note, it'll prove that you poisoned me as well!"

Just then, the bailiff returned with the results in hand. He handed them to Klavier, and the tension in the air was almost palpable as the purple-clad prosecutor read the report.

"The handwriting on the note…" he spoke finally, "...does not match Ms. Mori's handwriting. Furthermore, it matches the handwriting of Mr. Fanne."

Derek was sweating bullets at this point.

"Well, Mr. Fanne," Apollo asked, smirking, "Do you have anything else to say?"

"Ack… I…. I….. she… I…. I can't believe…. it was all…. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" He yelled. His hat fell off his head and he pulled out all his hair in several short, quick tugs, leaving him bald with a few stray patches of hair. He was panting heavily by the time his breakdown was over, and he was clutching the witness stand in anger.

"It's true… I was working for Mr. Renchez…" Derek admitted, "Three years ago… Mr. Renchez paid me to… poison Mr. Armando. Back then, I had some financial problems, so I accepted readily… little did I know that would sign my fate... He used that to blackmail me into helping him over and over again… holding it over my head constantly! When the boss killed Renchez… I thought that maybe I could be free… but then I saw Mr. Armando in court yesterday. It was like I was seeing a ghost! I knew he had figured out I was the one who tried to poison him… So... I tried… I tried to poison him again! But then he went and gave the cup of coffee I poisoned to the boss! DAMN IT ALL!"

The judge frowned, "It seems that the truth has been revealed. Bailiff. Arrest the witness, will you."

"Yes sir!"

Apollo watched Mr. Fanne get dragged off with a satisfied feeling, but Klavier had different thoughts. Once the doors of the court closed, Klavier shouted:

"HOLD IT! Mr. Armando…would you please explain to the court what happened three years ago. I would like that to be cleared up before this trial is over.

Mark nodded, "Very well. Three years ago, Allen got into an accident while investigating a crime scene. He hit a pedestrian and killed them. It was an accident, of course, but Allen's partner convinced Allen to cover it up. Later, the body was found, and Allen's partner began threatening Allen with blackmail, saying he'd reveal that Allen hit the victim. Allen got sick of these constant threats, so he killed his partner. He confessed as much to me, though I assume by this point he already planned to kill me. The coffee I drank while working in the lab that night was poisoned, and Mr. Fanne was the only other person in the lab that night. The second I felt my throat constrict, I told Renko to run. I told her to fake a suicide and change her identity before she was killed as well. She took my labcoat and fled the scene. Up until the day she died, she never did take that labcoat off…"

"Wait," Klavier asked, "So… the labcoat she was wearing…?"

Mark nodded solemnly, "It was mine. Yeah. If it's alright with you, I'd like it back once this trial's over…"

"That can be arranged…" Klavier replied.

"So," the judge spoke, "That's the gist of it then. Well. I will be the first to say that this trial has been rather… unconventional… even for my standards… however, I believe it's finally time for me to hand down a verdict… This court finds Prosecutor Gamm-er.. Mark Armando…"

**NOT GUILTY!**

This time, the confetti was in fact met with cheers. Apollo was smiling, and Klavier, satisfied that the truth had been brought to light, gave a small smirk before heading out of the courtroom.

As Apollo and Mark both made their way out, the masked man turned to the defense attorney. He wasn't smiling, and Apollo had a feeling why.

"Mr. Armando… there's a reason why you're acting so glum, isn't there?"

Mark turned away, "I don't know what you mean…"

Apollo didn't need the tight feeling around his wrist to know that Mark was lying.

"The reason why you've been so solemn is because of this piece of evidence…"

"TAKE THAT!" Apollo pulled out the labcoat that Renko had worn, "You said Renko hadn't taken this off since you last saw her three years ago. The truth is… you were actually…"

Apollo thought for a second, then affirmed his next choice of words, "You two were together… as in, dating, weren't you?"

Mark frowned, "Something like that. Once she confessed to me that she killed Renchez in self-defense… I thought maybe things would turn out fine after all. Unfortunately… this had to happen. That cup of coffee was meant for me… but she drank it instead… Twice now I've cheated death… but she wasn't as lucky."

Apollo frowned, "It must be hard losing someone you care about… here… you said you wanted this? It's yours, after all."

Mark nodded and grabbed the lab coat. He removed his vest and held up the labcoat, as if studying it. He then moved to put it on. Despite it being made 9 years ago, when he slid it on, it still fit him fine. He adjusted the ends of the coat and rolled up the sleeves of both the lab coat and his dress shirt so the rolls were the same pale-grey.

He turned to a mirror positioned on the wall of the courthouse and nodded his approval, before turning to leave.

Apollo stopped him, "Hey, It's customary for us to celebrate with our defendants after a trial. Do you want to stop by the Wright Anything Agency later?"

Mark shook his head, "I'm not in the mood to celebrate, Mr. Justice, but thanks for the offer."

Apollo nodded and watched Mark exit the courthouse silently.

* * *

**AN: There you have it! Hope ya liked the story, da ze! I will definitely be writing more stories about Mark Armando in the future, so look forward to it! Now, on to one last word...**


	8. Epilogue: What's to Come

**December 20, 2:45 PM**

**Prosecutor's Offices**

**Room 801**

Mark sat at the desk and sighed. He had a bunch of paperwork to do.

Being a prosecutor gave you little time to mourn, but perhaps that's what his brother meant by "A Lawyer doesn't cry until it's all over."

He looked down. In his hands he held a new mask he had picked up. He had returned the old one to his brother, but his eyes had still been damaged by the effects of the poison. He had gotten another one made. This one was more angular and made out of darker metal. Moreover, it only had two horizontal lines instead of three, and instead of the harsh red, they shone a neutral blue color. It was overall slimmer, more like a pair of goggles than a half-face mask, revealing more of his face.

His office was dark enough for him to go without it, but his eyes had become hypersensitive to light. Everything but the dimmest of lights would hurt his eyes without the aid of the mask.

Someone knocked on the door and he quickly slid the new mask over his face, completing his new look. He turned the lights in his office up and called them in.

It was Ema, of all people, and he was actually quite surprised at her visit.

"Hey, Mark, long time no see, I guess," She spoke, almost awkwardly. It made sense, all things considered. She had left their high school when her sister was found to be an accomplice to murder, then she returned, only to hear of his supposed death. The first time they see each other in nine years, she couldn't recognize him with his silver hair and his brother's mask, and he wound up prosecuting her for a murder she didn't commit. She didn't recognize him until he was arrested, and this would be the first time they talked not as Gamma and Ms. Skye, but as Mark and Ema.

He nodded silently.

"I was… hoping to have more to say, to be honest…" Ema frowned, chomping on one of her snackoos, "I guess… I'm glad you're alive… and I'm sorry about Renko."

Mark nodded again, "I guess I should apologize for prosecuting you…"

Ema shook her head, "Actually, I'm glad it was you and not the fop."

Mark arched an eyebrow, which translated to a wavy crease in his now-visible forehead, and Ema realized that "the fop" was not explicitly indicative of Klavier for someone who hadn't ever heard her call him that.

"Klavier, I mean," Ema elaborated. This made Mark smirk.

"He is kind of a fop, isn't he?" Mark agreed.

Ema was happy that Mark had given up the frown he'd been sporting ever since he left the courtroom earlier.

The two wanted to say more... or maybe they didn't. It had been so long, but they had surprisingly little to say to each other. They both went through a lot these past few days, but they had experienced it together. Talking, they decided, wasn't necessary. Either way, if they had wanted to say more, they were interrupted by a knock on the door.

Thistime, the person knocking hadn't waited for a response before entering.

"Mr. Armando…"

It was Edgeworth. It took him a moment to realize that it wasn't just Mark in the room, and upon noticing this, he smiled.

"Ah, Ms. Skye. How appropriate. I was going to find you next."

Edgeworth came over by the desk and placed down a manilla folder on Mark's desk, on top of the other paperwork he was filling out.

"There's a new case… the death of a government official from Borginia. It's high profile, so I'll be investigating it myself, and obviously Interpol is involved… but I'm going to need some help."

Mark was shocked, "Wait, you're asking me? But I'm technically just a rookie!"

Edgeworth nodded, "Normally, I wouldn't bring a new prosecutor along… however, it seems you've been requested by someone to aid in the investigation. A Mr. Matthew Grossberg?"

Mark stood up immediately, "Are you sure he said his name was Matthew _Grossberg_?"

Edgeworth nodded, "That's what he said over the phone. Is he an old friend of yours?"

Mark shook his head, "No… he's an old friend of my brother's…. he's Marvin Grossberg's son."

* * *

**AN: A little teaser for what's to come. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the story, da ze! **


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